Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Social Media

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department has spent on producing social media videos and graphics for use on ministerial social media accounts since January 2020.

Andrew Stephenson: Department for Transport employs an in-house social media team to use digital channels and create content to communicate departmental policies online. It is often appropriate for content relating to Government policies, guidance and announcements, created by civil servants, to be amplified or posted on other channels including ministers' own social media accounts where this helps drive wider engagement from the public.Content creation is one part of the digital team’s responsibilities, there is no individual cost per video or graphic created. The creation of these assets and any other communications products, is funded by the Department for Transport Communications Directorate staffing budget.

Department for Transport: Coronavirus

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to mandate individual risk assessments for all employees in his Department before they return to the workplace following the easing of covid-19 restrictions; and how many individual risk assessments for people returning to work have been conducted by his Department as of 21 February 2022.

Andrew Stephenson: At the current time there are no plans to mandate the use of the risk assessment tools.As any such risk assessments are voluntary, DfT does not hold data centrally on the number of risk assessments completed or reviewed as of 21 February 2022.

Electric Scooters: Insurance

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to make road insurance mandatory for e-scooter owners driving on roads.

Trudy Harrison: E-scooters are currently classed as motor vehicles under the Road Traffic Act 1988. This means users must comply with the requirements for motor vehicles, which includes having appropriate insurance. It is currently an offence to ride an e-scooter without insurance. The Department is now considering options for a new regulatory framework for e-scooters. This includes working with industry to consider whether to require insurance and, if so, what kind.

Driving Licences: Applications

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to instruct the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to expedite the processing of driving licenses in instances where the applicant has a medical or physical need for a car.

Trudy Harrison: The quickest and easiest way to apply for a driving licence is by using the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online service. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their licence within a few days.However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application and the DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day. The DVLA is working hard to process paper applications as quickly as possible for all drivers, including those with health conditions. To help reduce waiting times for paper applications, the DVLA has recruited more staff, increased overtime working and has secured extra office space in Swansea and Birmingham.The DVLA recognises the impact on drivers who have to renew their licence more regularly due to a medical condition and is working hard to improve the process. Drivers with diabetes, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, a visual impairment, a sleep condition or a heart condition can renew their licence online.The DVLA has recently introduced a simplified licence renewal process for drivers with epilepsy and multiple sclerosis and is piloting this for some mental health conditions. This renewal process has significantly reduced the need for the DVLA to seek further information from medical professionals and enabled more licensing decisions to be made based on the information provided by the driver. The DVLA is looking at adding more medical conditions to this process.The length of time taken to deal with an application depends on the medical condition(s) involved and whether further information is required from medical professionals. The majority of those renewing their licence will be able to continue driving while their application is being processed, providing they can meet the criteria outlined here.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to (a) reduce the cost of public electric vehicle charging, (b) increase cost transparency at public electric vehicle charging stations, (c) increase the reliability of public electric vehicle charging stations and (d) mandate local authorities to install public electric vehicle charging stations.

Trudy Harrison: The UK is a global front-runner in supporting provision of charging infrastructure. Government has committed £1.3 billion to support the rollout of charging infrastructure. We are supporting rapid chargepoints along motorways and major roads and installing more chargepoints near homes and workplaces to make charging reliable and easy.The Office for Zero Emission Vehicles provides grants for domestic, workplace and public chargepoints to reduce the up-front costs of purchasing and installing an electric vehicle chargepoint. To further support drivers reduce the cost of charging, in December 2021 we laid legislation to require all new private chargepoints to be able to smart charge. Smart charging during off-peak periods when demand for electricity is lower can help avoid triggering unnecessary network reinforcement work to the electricity grid. Furthermore, this technology helps utilise renewable energy and can benefit consumers with cheaper electricity.To increase confidence in the charging network and reduce range anxiety the Government consulted in Spring 2021 on using our powers under the Automated Electric Vehicles Act (2018) to improve the consumer experience at public chargepoints. Proposals included opening public chargepoint data; improving the reliability of the network; streamlining the payment methods offered to drivers; and increasing pricing transparency.Drivers in the UK should expect reliability from the public network. Having chargepoints out of action is inconvenient, frustrating and can be unsafe. We consider that minimum reliability standards are required to drive improvements and hold poor performing chargepoint operators to account. Following consultation, we have announced that we will mandate new standards to ensure reliable charging. We have also announced that we will be mandating a single payment metric so consumers can easily compare the costs across networks which will be in a recognisable format, similar to pence per litre for fuel.We will publish our full consultation response soon and intend to lay legislation later this year.Government’s forthcoming EV Infrastructure Strategy will define our vision for the continued roll-out of a world-leading charging infrastructure network across the UK. The strategy will clearly establish Government’s expectations for the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholders in the planning and deployment of charging infrastructure.Local authorities will have a key role in planning and enabling the delivery of chargepoints to meet the needs of their local communities and areas, with particular focus on supporting those who do not have access to off-street parking.We are working closer than ever with local authorities to encourage uptake of central government funding for electric vehicle chargepoints and ensure more widespread regional and local action in this space. We will continue to work to help mainstream capability and leadership, leading to local action to support zero emission vehicle uptake across every part of the UK.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much his Department has allocated to supporting (a) public electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and (b) off-street EV charging infrastructure in each of the next three financial years starting March 2022.

Trudy Harrison: The Government is investing over £1.3 billion in accelerating the roll-out of charging infrastructure over the next four years, targeting support on rapid chargepoints on motorways and major roads, and installing more on-street chargepoints near homes and workplaces to make charging reliable and easy. Our grant schemes and the £400m Charging Infrastructure Investment Fund will see thousands more electric vehicle charge-points installed across the UK.Budgets to support public and off-street electric vehicle charging infrastructure in each of the next three financial years have not yet been finalised. The Government’s forthcoming EV Infrastructure Strategy will define our vision for the continued roll-out of a world-leading charging infrastructure network across the UK.

Electric Vehicles: Linlithgow and East Falkirk

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many electric vehicles were registered in Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency in the most recent period for which records are available.

Trudy Harrison: At the end of September 2021, there were 408 battery electric vehicles licensed to an address in the Linlithgow and East Falkirk constituency, which comprised of 367 cars and 41 other vehicles.

Electric Vehicles: Rural Areas

Dehenna Davison: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that rural communities have the infrastructure necessary to enable the use of electric vehicles.

Trudy Harrison: We want people across the country to have the opportunity to make the move to electric vehicles (EVs). Most EV drivers choose to charge their cars at home, overnight (and 85% of dwellings in rural areas have off-street parking) or increasingly at the workplace. For those without access or undertaking longer journeys, public charging is important.The Department has committed over £1.3 billion to accelerate the roll out of charging infrastructure on motorways and major A roads, in homes and businesses and on-street. Government will publish its forthcoming EV Infrastructure Strategy soon. This will define our vision for the continued roll-out of a world-leading charging infrastructure network across the whole of the UK, including rural areas. It will also set out roles and responsibilities for ensuring charging infrastructure rollout is delivered at the pace needed to transition to a zero-emission car and van fleet. We will continue to monitor this situation and consider the case for direct central government support in rural areas if required.The On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme (ORCS) is available to all UK local authorities, including those with rural areas, to apply to and provide public chargepoints for their residents without access to private parking. £20 million is available in the 2021-22 financial year. To support local authorities in accessing this funding, DfT funds Energy Saving Trust to offer expert advice on EV charging and support on developing EV strategies. Energy Saving Trust, in partnership with DfT, also hosts a library of webinars and guidance for local authorities on installing charging points. This includes webinars specifically for rural local authorities.Government will also launch a Local EV infrastructure Fund, which will be available to English local authorities in 2022-23. This fund will facilitate the roll-out of larger scale charging infrastructure projects across the country.In addition, this year, we will expand the Workplace Charging Scheme to support small accommodation businesses and charities to install chargepoints for their guests and visitors. This should help provision of more chargepoints in rural areas, for example it should support places like village halls provide chargepoints for their communities.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to (a) publish the Government's response to the consumer experience at public electric vehicle chargepoints consultation and (b) lay any subsequent secondary legislation.

Trudy Harrison: We have consulted on using our powers under the Automated Electric Vehicles Act (2018) to improve the consumer experience at public chargepoints. Proposals included opening public chargepoint data; improving the reliability of the network; streamlining the payment methods offered to drivers; and increasing pricing transparency. We will publish a response soon and seeking to lay legislation later in 2022.

Shipping: Biofuels

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support he is providing to increase the number of ships fuelled by biofuel.

Robert Courts: The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) currently provides support for biofuels used in inland waterway vessels.Following a consultation in 2021 on whether and how the RTFO could support a greater uptake of low carbon fuels in maritime, the Government decided not to provide support to biofuels used in shipping. This is because biomass availability across the UK economy is limited, and these finite resources might be more effectively used in those sectors of our economy that have fewer decarbonisation options compared to maritime. This position does not preclude vessels purchasing and using biofuel in a commercial fashion.Since January 2022, the RTFO provides support to renewable fuels of non-biological origin when used across the maritime sector, including ships operating at sea. This applies to fuels including renewable ammonia, hydrogen and methanol, where R&D support is needed to help these fuels come to market.

Roads: Accidents

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing a legal requirement for drivers to stop and report collisions with cats.

Trudy Harrison: The Government has made no assessment of the potential merits of introducing a legal requirement for drivers to stop and report collisions with cats. A focus for this Government is to make roads safer for all users, which will in turn reduce the risk to all animals.Under section 170 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, a driver is required to stop and report an accident involving specified animals including horses, cattle, asses, mules, sheep, pigs, goats or dogs, but not cats or wild animals. This requirement arises from their status as working animals rather than as domestic pets. To introduce such a measure within the provision of section 170, would require primary legislation.However, although there is no obligation to report all animal deaths on roads, Rule 286 of The Highway Code advises drivers to report any accident involving an animal to the police, and if possible, they should make enquiries to ascertain the owner of domestic animals, such as cats, and advise them of the situation.The Government recognises how distressting it can be for someone to lose a pet, especially without knowing what has happened. We committed in our Manifesto, and reaffirmed in our Action Plan for Animal Welfare, to introducing compulsory cat microchipping and plan to introduce the necessary legislation this year. We understand that the vast majority of local authorities now have arrangements in place to scan dead cats and dogs found by the roadside and we will continue working with them and other stakeholders to develop and promote best practice in this area.

Shipping: Hydrogen

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support he is providing to increase the number of hydrogen-powered ships.

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support he is providing to increase the number of battery-powered ships.

Gavin Newlands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what support he is providing to increase the number of ammonia-powered ships.

Robert Courts: In March 2021, we launched the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition (CMDC), which allocated over £23m of research and development funding to 55 projects across the UK. The competition supports the design and development of zero emission shipping technologies, which includes hydrogen, ammonia and battery. As set out in the Net Zero Strategy: Build Back Greener (October 2021), we will extend the CMDC to a multi-year programme. We will publish details of any future competitions in due course, including guidance for applicants.

Helicopters: Urban Areas

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to (a) reduce the number of commercial helicopter flights over densely populated areas and (b) minimise the risk of those flights to the safety of people on the ground.

Robert Courts: Requirements for commercial helicopter flights are set by the CAA, which does not have a remit to reduce the number of commercial helicopter flights over densely populated areas.Helicopter pilots are required to take account of weather, terrain and obstacles when selecting their routes and to consider the ability to land without undue hazard to person or property in the event of a forced landing. In the London area, routes are in place for single-engine helicopters that largely follow rivers and open spaces; multi-engine helicopters have greater freedom (as the loss of one engine will not require immediate forced landing). In many built-up areas, pilots are subject to the provision of Air Traffic Control Services. The level of oversight of commercial organisations by the CAA also gives assurance that the flight profiles followed are appropriate, the crew members are competent and have met all training requirements, and that the helicopters are adequately maintained.

Roads: Accidents

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data his Department holds on the number and proportion of accidents that have involved at least one left hand drive vehicle in each of the last three years.

Trudy Harrison: The number and proportion of reported personal injury road accidents in Great Britain involving at least one left hand drive vehicle from 2018 to 2020 can be found in the table RAS40005 here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1021691/ras40005.ods

Roads: Safety

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what safety (a) measures and (b) recommendations his Department has (i) made and (ii) is planning to make to improve the safety of left-hand drive vehicles being driven in the UK.

Trudy Harrison: The Department does not currently have any specific plans focused on left-hand drive vehicles being driven in the UK.There are, however, certain requirements for left hand drive vehicles including to ensure their headlights are modified if required, and that the vehicle meets the relevant road worthiness standards. National Highways issues ferry companies, Eurotunnel and parking providers a leaflet titled ‘Driving on England’s Motorways’ which contains advice to foreign drivers. It also distributes Fresnel lenses to left hand drive HGV drivers, which help them to better see their blindspots.

Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Facilities

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to (a) improve rest facilities for HGV drivers and (b) ensure the safety of lorries in refuge areas.

Trudy Harrison: (a) The Government recognises the need to ensure hauliers have access to appropriate services and facilities.We are aware of the concerns expressed by many HGV drivers about the provision, quality and value of lorry parking in the UK. We have announced £32.5 million in new funding to improve roadside facilities for hauliers and are undertaking a new National Lorry Parking Survey supported by direct industry engagement to help identify where improvements are most needed. We continue to engage with key stakeholders to encourage the development of safe, secure and high-quality lorry parking.(b) Safety remains our top priority and our motorways are the safest type of road in the country.On motorways where the hard shoulder has been converted to a traffic lane, there is a whole system of inter-related features, working together to help drivers. They include clearly signed and orange-coloured emergency areas set back from the road to provide greater protection than a hard shoulder and with telephones linking directly to our control rooms.Emergency areas are available for when a driver has no alternative but to stop and it has not been possible to leave the motorway or reach a motorway service area. They are approximately 100 meters long (the average length of a football pitch) by 4.6 meters wide and set back from the left-hand edge of the motorway.A Smart Motorway Driver Education Course was designed and developed jointly between National Highways and Logistics UK specifically for the freight sector. Its core objective is to help improve drivers’ understanding of smart motorways and how to use them. It is available free of charge and is recognised by JAUPT (the Joint Approvals Unit for Periodic Training) as part of professional drivers’ formal accreditation. Since its launch in 2018 it has been supplied to more than 150 organisations with almost 400 courses delivered to more than 2,800 delegates.

Railways: Weather

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to protect (a) railway workers and (b) passengers during extreme weather events.

Wendy Morton: Safety for both passengers and staff is a top priority for the Department. We want industry to get the basics right, like introducing treatment trains early and making preparations wherever possible, and also to explore new technology that could help improve resilience.Network Rail has well-established operational measures it implements to manage services safely during extreme weather events such as line speed restrictions or diversions. It is also drafting long-term plans and has in place a weather resilience and climate change strategy to ensure the infrastructure can cope with climate change and short-term periods of extreme weather.

Railways: Coronavirus

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the timeframe is for rail timetables to return to pre-pandemic levels of service frequency.

Wendy Morton: The pandemic is changing travel habits, and we are starting to see some substantial changes in passenger demand for rail travel. As we recover from the pandemic, we must ensure services are adjusted to meet these changes.  We are working with the rail industry to ensure that services are appropriate to passenger demand, whilst prioritising the good performance passengers need, and delivering good value for the taxpayer.

Cycling and Motorcycles: Safety

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of requiring cyclists and motorcyclists to wear high visibility clothing.

Trudy Harrison: The safety of vulnerable road users is a priority for the Government. The Department recommends that cyclists and motorcyclists wear clothing that makes them sufficiently visible to other road users, and has recently revised the Highway Code to make this even clearer. However, the Government has no plans to mandate the wearing of high visibility clothing either for cyclists or for motorcyclists. For cyclists, the benefits would be outweighed by the fact that it would be likely to put many people off cycling, thereby reducing the health and environmental benefits that cycling can provide.

Electric Scooters: Hire Services

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish the interim evaluation of regulated e-scooter trials.

Trudy Harrison: The Department is running trials of rental e-scooters to assess their safety and wider impacts and has in place a monitoring and evaluation programme, commissioned to Arup in partnership with NatCen. This is a mixed-methods impact evaluation drawing from wide range of data sources, including a direct data feed from trial e-scooter operators, survey data with e-scooter users and trial areas residents, and qualitative research with local and national stakeholders. A full set of findings on rental e-scooters from our national evaluation, will be included in our final report due later in 2022.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Post Offices: Stockport

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2022 to Question 119883, on Post Offices: Stockport, whether an estimate has been made of the number of Crown Post Offices in Stockport.

Paul Scully: The Post Office network is largely franchised and made up of small businesses – almost 99% of the total network operates successfully on a franchise or agency basis. The constituency of Stockport currently has nine post office branches and one Crown Post Office. In terms of quality of service and access arrangements a recent report by Citizen's Advice indicates that franchised branches are performing in line with or better than traditional branches. ​​​​  Previous question

Energy Company Obligation

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2022 to Question 115831, on Energy Company Obligation, what contingency measures his Department is putting in place to ensure that the transition between the end of ECO3 and the start of ECO4 does not negatively impact vulnerable energy consumers.

Greg Hands: The Government has engaged with industry during the drafting and analysis stages of the consultation for ECO4 and has continued regular engagement with obligated suppliers on the new scheme design. The Government consulted on continuing a scheme that supports low income and vulnerable or fuel poor households across Great Britain, including a carry-over mechanism, which enables suppliers to continue delivery above their existing obligation, to count towards ECO4. The Government will issue a response to the ECO4 consultation shortly.

Energy Company Obligation

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2022 to Question 115831, on Energy Company Obligation, if he will take steps to ensure that the transition between the end of ECO3 and the start of ECO4 will not negatively impact vulnerable consumers and the insulation industry.

Greg Hands: The Government consulted on continuing a scheme that supports low income and vulnerable or fuel poor households across Great Britain, including a carry-over mechanism, which enables suppliers to continue delivery above their existing obligation, to count towards ECO4. ECO4 will also focus more on fabric first delivery. Together with the minimum energy efficiency requirement, this will incentivise greater uptake in more insulation measures. Furthermore, the Government expects that many of the least energy efficient homes will require solid wall insulation to meet the minimum energy efficiency requirement. However, to provide certainty and support to the supply chain, the Government is proposing to have a solid wall insulation target. The target consulted on was 22,000 per year. The Government will issue a response to the ECO4 consultation shortly.

Energy Performance Certificates: Private Rented Housing

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to introduce a new Standard Assessment Procedure for home Energy Performance Certificates before any change to the minimum energy efficiency requirements for the private rented sector.

Greg Hands: The next version of the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP), which is used for building compliance and producing Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), will come into force in Summer 2022. The Department has also commenced work on developing a future version of SAP, which is expected to come into force in 2025, alongside the Future Homes Standard. These updates are expected to precede any changes to the energy efficiency requirements for the private rented sector. The Government recently consulted on raising standards from 2025 for new tenancies and from 2028 for all tenancies.

Energy Performance Certificates

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reforming Energy Performance Certificates.

Greg Hands: Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) underpin a growing number of BEIS policies and government targets, including the Government’s ambition for as many homes to reach EPC C by 2035, where practical, cost-effective, and affordable. In 2020, BEIS and MHCLG (now DLUHC) jointly published an EPC Action Plan detailing a series of commitments to maximise the effectiveness of EPCs as a tool for improving the energy performance of buildings. These commitments culminate to deliver the following three outcomes: an EPC system that produces accurate, reliable, and trusted EPCs, an EPC that engages consumers and supports policy to drive action, and a data infrastructure fit for the future of EPCs. As part of its action plan, the Government is proceeding with an update to the EPC’s underlying methodology, exploring the potential to integrate Smart Meter Enabled Thermal Efficiency Ratings to bring measurement closer to actual performance, as well as investigating means of improving the recommendations generated by the EPC to be better tailored to the individual building. A report detailing the Government’s progress in delivering these commitments was published in November 2021.

Energy Entrepreneurs Fund: Females

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what proportion of money distributed from the Energy Entrepreneur Fund has been given projects where a female lead was the head of the lead partner of the project.

Greg Hands: In the last round of the Energy Entrepreneurs Fund (Round 8), the average grant won by female led applications was £504,797 and the average grant won by male led applications was £516,276. The difference between these two figures is not statistically significant.

Wind Power: Infrastructure

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to help ensure that wind turbine blades are recycled rather than placed in landfill sites.

Greg Hands: Industry is working to develop innovative ways of recycling or reusing wind turbines. The Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, in partnership with High Value Manufacturing Catapult’s National Composites Centre, and supported by The Crown Estate, Net Zero Technology Centre and RenewableUK, launched SusWind in 2021. This project will discover and demonstrate viable ways to recycle composite wind turbine blades and explore the use of sustainable materials and processes.

Energy Entrepreneurs Fund

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to help ensure that future funding given for the Energy Entrepreneur Fund achieves a gender balance.

Greg Hands: The Energy Entrepreneurs Fund has collected data on the gender of the principal applicants in all previous rounds and analysis has shown there is no statistical difference in success rates between female and male applicants. The Department will continue to monitor this in future rounds of the scheme to ensure this remains the case.

Warm Home Discount Scheme: Scotland

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Warm Homes Discount will continue to apply in full to individuals and organisations in Scotland after 31 March 2022.

Greg Hands: The Government has committed to extending the Warm Home Discount to at least 2025/26 and expanding the scheme spending envelope from the current £350 million to £475 million (in 2020 prices) per year. This will enable the Government to provide around 3 million rebates each winter across Great Britain, which is an increase of a third compared to the current scheme. The Government has consulted on apportioning a fair amount of the overall £475 million annual funding to Scotland for a Warm Home Discount scheme in Scotland from the 2022/23 scheme year. The Government is agreeing a position with the Scottish Government on the future scheme. Any scheme in Scotland would be consulted on. Should the UK Government implement a scheme for Scotland, the intention would be to have consulted and have Regulations in place in advance of the summer Parliamentary recess. The current scheme is continuing to operate across Great Britain for 2021/22.

Post Offices: ICT

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing an independent ombudsman to review compensation requests made by victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal that have been rejected.

Paul Scully: When establishing the Historical Shortfall Scheme, the Post Office engaged with the claimants in the settled litigation, to inform the design of the scheme, and the scheme already includes an independent advisory panel with appropriately qualified individuals to make recommendations on compensation. The Panel is completely independent of both Post Office and of Government. The Scheme received around 2,500 claims, of which over 2,300 were eligible applications and Post Office is working to make offers on the overwhelming majority of applications, (95%), by the end of 2022. Regarding overturned historical convictions, POL is committed to paying the reasonable legal costs of the claimants’ representatives to ensure that they are properly supported to put forward their best possible case for compensation.

Post Offices: ICT

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen the relationship between representatives of Post Office Ltd and the victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal.

Paul Scully: The Post Office is continuing its efforts to right the wrongs of the past. This includes delivering compensation via the Historical Shortfall Scheme and compensation for postmasters with overturned criminal convictions – thereby resetting its relationship with postmasters who have been affected by the Horizon scandal. The Government is closely monitoring the Post Office’s progress on delivering compensation in both areas.

Tidal Power: Finance

Rob Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what funding streams are available for the development of tidal lagoon projects.

Greg Hands: The Government is open to considering well-developed tidal range proposals, provided that these proposals demonstrate energy system benefits, plausible environmental mitigation strategies, and clear value for money in the context of other renewables.

Northern Ireland Office

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what recent progress the Government has made in facilitating trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Conor Burns: The Government is committed to strengthening the Union and Northern Ireland’s place within it. Increasing trade flows between the four nations of the UK is a key part of that strategy. To that end, we have legislated to ensure unfettered access for trade from Northern Ireland to Great Britain and invested £200 million to support businesses trading between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, through schemes such as the Trader Support Service.We are currently in negotiations with the EU to resolve the issues experienced by traders under the Northern Ireland Protocol and the next meeting of the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee will be held next week.

Department of Health and Social Care

Health Services: Video Conferencing

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many IT providers of video conferencing services meet the NHS DCB0129 requirements; and which companies have met that standard.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Social Media

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many staff in his Department are managing ministerial social media accounts as (a) their primary responsibility and (b) part of their role as of 21 February 2022.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health: Equality

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will list all reports and reviews his Department has undertaken on health inequalities in the last 20 years.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential saving to the public purse of suspending the covid-19 testing programme; and how much his Department has spent on that programme in each month since 1 January 2021.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what basis he made the decision not to provide free symptomatic testing for covid-19 for NHS staff after 1 April 2022.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the gender imbalance in the take up of the HPV vaccine in schools between girls and boys.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Lord O'Shaughnessy

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what records his Department holds of correspondence between Lord O'Shaughnessy and companies providing covid-19 testing or testing supplies, between April and August 2020, conducted on his private gmail account; and whether he was provided with a departmental email address in his capacity as an adviser on NHS Test and Trace during this period.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

PPE Medpro

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2022 to Question 120779, on PPE Medpro, whether his Department does (a) not hold a record of a financial assessment of PPE Medpro incorporating a traffic-light rating or (b) hold that record but is unable to disclose the traffic-light rating because it may prejudice the commercial interests of that company to do so.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Tees Valley

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women have been admitted to mental health hospitals in Teesside in each of the last five years.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Children

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2021 to Question 84320 on Mental Health Services: Children, when his Department plans to publish the results of the NHS England and NHS Improvement consultation on the potential to introduce five new waiting time standards.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Mental Health Services: Children

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a waiting time standard for children’s mental health services.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Royal Shrewsbury Hospital: Maternity Services

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to latest annual national Maternity survey, what assessment he has made of the potential improvements that were found in maternity services at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in response to that survey.

Maria Caulfield: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Department of Health and Social Care: Social Media

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much his Department has spent on producing social media videos and graphics for use on ministerial social media accounts since January 2020.

Edward Argar: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many rapid lateral flow covid-19 tests have been issued in (a) England and (b) the South West in each of the last 12 months.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Screening

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Return to an Address of the Honourable the House of Commons dated 17 November 2021 for specified minutes, notes, and correspondence relating to Government contracts awarded to Randox Laboratories Ltd, HC1072, laid before the House on 3 February 2022, Ref 16, page 26, if he will publish the 15 different companies that Public Health England engaged with on covid-19 testing.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: Plymouth

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of covid-19 rapid lateral flow tests that have been issued in the Plymouth City Council local authority area to date.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health Services: ICT

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential risks to patient safety and data protection of using IT providers that do not meet the requirements of (a) DTAC and (b) DBC0129.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Coronavirus: South West Devon

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many rapid lateral flow covid-19 tests have been issued in (a) Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport constituency, (b) Plymouth Moor View constituency and (c) South West Devon constituency in each of the last 12 months.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health Services: Video Conferencing

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many IT providers of video-conferencing services have met the NHS's Digital Technology Assessment Criteria since they were launched; and which companies have met those criteria.

Gillian Keegan: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Air Pollution: Death

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of deaths that were attributed to air pollution in (a) Plymouth, (b) the South West and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Maggie Throup: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Hospitals: Construction

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to announce which bids are to receive funding in the next round of the New Hospital Programme.

Edward Argar: On 15 July 2021 the Government announced the selection process for the further eight new hospitals, the next phase of implementation of its Health Infrastructure Plan. The proposal for trusts to submit an Expression of Interest to be one of the next eight closed on 9 September 2021. This is the first of a two-stage selection process. It will be followed by a more detailed process for schemes that are selected for the longlist. These longlisted schemes will be announced shortly and the selected eight schemes announced later in the year.We are committed to a balanced and robust selection process. The analysis will take some time, which means that while this process is ongoing, we are unable to comment on individual submissions.

Cardiovascular Diseases: Health Services

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to develop a national cardiovascular disease strategy as recommended in the ABHI Cardiovascular Health Check report.

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve signposting to information on the symptoms of cardiovascular disease; and whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of creating a national hub for patient information on procedures as outlined in the ABHI Cardiovascular Health Check report.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England and NHS Improvement have made no assessment of the potential merits of developing a national cardiovascular disease strategy or creating a national hub for patient information. However, the NHS Long Term Plan committed to improve care and outcomes for individuals with cardiovascular disease. A national cardiovascular programme has been established, led by national clinical directors and national specialty advisors and supported by the development of local cardiac networks.NHS.UK has a guide for patients on cardiovascular conditions, symptoms and treatments. Individual providers also have a responsibility to make patient information available regarding local services available.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the (a) availability of a catch up programme for boys who miss out on receiving the HPV vaccine, (b) capacity in sexual health clinics to support the delivery of the HPV vaccine programme for gay and bisexual men and (c) levels of unmet need of eligible boys and men who have not received the HPV vaccine.

Maria Caulfield: In 2020/21, 71% of males in year 8 received their first dose of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and 54.7% of males in year 9 received a second dose. Providers are running catch up programmes for those academic cohorts who may have missed HPV vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, boys can also receive their vaccination through the National Health Service commissioned School Aged Immunisation Service providers or from their general practitioner until the age of 25 years old.HPV vaccinations are available in all sexual health trusts for men who have sex with men (MSM). Evidence suggests that well over 50% of MSM regularly attending sexual health clinics have received at least one HPV vaccination. Regional commissioners work with vaccine providers to review uptake numbers and respond to any issues with operational delivery.

Dietary Supplements

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when the Government plans to publish its response to the consultation on changes being proposed to Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances policy about oral nutritional supplements listed in part XV of the Drug Tariff.

Edward Argar: The Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances (ACBS) is independent of Government. The ACBS will present its findings in a consultation report to the Department. At this stage, the report will be shared with the British Specialist Nutrition Association for further comment within a month. The Department will then consider the finalised report in relation to each of the proposed policy options.

Drugs and Medical Equipment: Negligence

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will reconsider creating a new independent Redress Agency for people harmed by medicines and medical devices as recommended by the Cumberlege Report.

Maria Caulfield: The Government did not accept the recommendation to establish a redress agency as set out in the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review. It is already possible for the Government and others to provide redress for specific issues where that is considered necessary. Our priority is to improve the future safety of medicines and medical devices, setting high standards for industry to market and manufacture products, with the aim of reducing harm in the future.

Cardiovascular Diseases: Health Services

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help increase the level of early detection and diagnosis of cardiovascular disease in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Caulfield: We continue to support the implementation of the NHS Health Check programme in England, which facilitates the prevention and early detection of cardiovascular disease. In addition, NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with regions and networks to increase access to the BNP blood test and echocardiography, with early adopter sites testing clinical pathways to improve the early detection and optimum management of heart failure.The National Health Service continues to open 44 community diagnostic centres to increase the volume of diagnostic activity and reduce patient waiting times, which could deliver over one million additional scans and tests such as computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, X-ray, ultrasound and echocardiograms.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support the Government providing to help tackle regional variations in delivery of the HPV vaccine programme in schools.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England and NHS Improvement’s regional health commissioning teams work with local stakeholders to monitor uptake data and commission human papillomavirus vaccines. In areas of low uptake, regional teams will host catch up clinics in schools and local venues and manage local call and recall processes.Additional work is ongoing using the data and technological solutions created for the expanded flu and COVID-19 immunisation programmes to measure and record timely vaccination events, react to regional variations and tackle health inequalities.

Dementia: Research

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the National Institute for Health Research’s Highlight Notice on Dementia on the take up of research proposals on that subject.

Maria Caulfield: The Highlight Notice is still open for applications therefore no assessment has yet been made.

NHS: Dental Services

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that all NHS dentists provide a comprehensive range of dental services and procedures funded through the NHS.

Maria Caulfield: Dentists delivering National Health Service primary care dental treatment are required to provide all treatment that is clinically necessary. NHS dental provision has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has reduced the number of available appointments due to infection prevention and control procedures. Dental practices have been asked to meet as many prioritised needs as is safely possible through urgent care, care for vulnerable groups and children, followed by delayed planned care.

Brain: Tumours

Greg Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress his Department has made on taking forward the recommendation of the Task and Finish Group on Brain Tumour Research to improve access for researchers to brain tumour tissue and blood samples with accompanying clinical data; and what plans his Department has to tackle that issue.

Maria Caulfield: The Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission reports that over 70% of United Kingdom neuro-oncology centres now have biobanking infrastructure in place to collect samples and tissue for research. These centres are collaborating to improve tissue collection opportunities through the Tessa Jowell Academy.

Cancer: Clinical Trials

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children are participating in Government-funded clinical trials on treatment for (a) brain cancer and (b) leukaemia.

Maria Caulfield: The Department funds clinical trials via the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). Since April 2019, 37 children consented to take part in trials for the treatment of brain cancer and 1,294 children consented to take part in trials regarding treatment for leukaemia. The NIHR also supports the delivery of trials funded by other research funders such as other public funders, charities, and industry. Of these trials, between 2019 to 2022 2,605 children consented to take part in trials for the treatment of brain cancer and 706 children consented to take part in trials for the treatment of leukaemia.

Carers: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the adequate provision of money to voluntary carers in the London Borough of Havering.

Gillian Keegan: All carers in England are entitled to a carer’s assessment. All local authorities, including the London Borough of Havering, are required to undertake a carer’s assessment for any carer who appears to have a need for support. If a carer is assessed as having needs that are eligible for support, local authorities have a legal duty to meet these needs on request from the carer.Carers may be entitled to is Carer’s Allowance, which provides support for people unable to work full-time because of their caring responsibilities. The weekly rate of Carer’s Allowance will increase to £69.70 from April 2022. Since 2010, the Allowance has increased from £53.90 to £69.70 a week, providing an additional £800 a year for carers.

Eating Disorders: Obesity

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to provide support to people with eating disorders; and what steps he plans to take to tackle obesity while supporting people with associated eating disorders.

Gillian Keegan: We have invested an additional £79 million in 2021/22 to expand children’s mental health services, including allowing 2,000 more children and young people to access eating disorder services. We also invested an additional £58 million in 2021/22 to support adult community mental health services, including eating disorders. This additional investment supplements existing plans to expand and improve mental health services, including eating disorder services, as set out in the NHS Mental Health Implementation Plan 2019/20-2023/24.We have considered the views of mental health charities and experts as we developed our plans for implementing the Healthy Weight Strategy. This includes feedback from a wide range of experts in response to our public consultations on specific policy proposals.

Suicide

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) men and (b) women have taken their own lives in each of the last three years.

Gillian Keegan: Data on the number of men and women who have died by suicide in each of the last three years is not available in the format requested.The official source of data on suicide statistics in England and Wales is produced annually by the Office for National Statistics. Statistics on suicide are based on the year of death registration, because of registration delays, some deaths recorded in the statistics will have occurred in the previous year.

Special Educational Needs: Young People

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care what proportion of public funding for young people aged 16 to 25 with an Education, Health and Care Plan has been met through (a) health budgets and (b) social care budgets as opposed to education funding in each of the last five years.

Gillian Keegan: The information requested is not held centrally. As set out in the Children and Families Act 2014 and Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) Code of Practice, local authorities and clinical commissioning groups must make joint commissioning arrangements for education, health and care provision for young people with SEND with Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans. The joint arrangements underpinning the EHC plan will include agreement between the partners of their respective responsibilities for funding the arrangements, to ensure that the services specified are commissioned. Young people and parents of children who have EHC plans also have the right to request a Personal Budget, which may contain elements of education, social care and health funding.

Eating Disorders: Children

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of children presenting with eating disorders compared to pre-covid-19 outbreak levels.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of children who present with eating disorders (a) at February 2022 and (b) prior to the covid-19 outbreak.

Gillian Keegan: Data collected on waiting times for children and young people with eating disorders shows that there has been a significant increase in demand in the wake of the pandemic. This data can be found at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cyped-waiting-times/.For urgent cases, latest figures (October to December 2021) show that 649 children and young people with an eating disorder started treatment, compared to pre-pandemic levels of 353 (January to March 2020). A further 203 children and young people were waiting to start treatment, compared with pre-pandemic levels of 18.For routine cases, latest figures (October to December 2021) show that 2,460 children and young people with an eating disorder started treatment, compared to pre-pandemic levels of 1,850 (January to March 2020). A further 1,918 children and young people were waiting to start treatment, compared with pre-pandemic levels of 543.Data for February 2022 is not yet available.

Dementia: Health Services

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure that dementia patients can access the same healthcare professionals during the entirety of the treatment for their condition.

Gillian Keegan: People living with dementia are more likely to have multiple health conditions and this requires support from healthcare professionals specific to each condition. In addition, as dementia advances, the health and social care needs of those living with dementia will change over time. These factors show the need for multi-disciplinary, coordinated and personalised support from a wide range of health and social care professionals. NHS England and NHS Improvement’s ‘Universal Personalised Care: Implementing the Comprehensive Model’ includes the role of care coordinators to ensure that care is focussed on the needs of the person with dementia and their families. The Model is available at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/universal-personalised-care-implementing-the-comprehensive-model/ We will be setting out our dementia strategy for England later this year, which will include a focus on improving the experience of being diagnosed and living with dementia.

Health Services: ICT

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether all NHS clinical health IT systems providers are required under the Health and Social Care Act 2012 to meet the (a) Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC) and (b) DCB0129 clinical risk management standard.

Gillian Keegan: The Digital Technology Assessment Criteria for Health and Social Care (DTAC) was introduced in February 2021 to ensure that digital health technologies and clinical health IT systems purchased by the National Health Service meet a baseline standard. This includes areas such as clinical safety, data protection and cyber security, bringing together legislation and good practice into a single framework. It encompasses the DCB0129 clinical risk management standard.The DTAC is currently non-mandatory and relies on the procuring organisation making use of it. The Health and Care Bill will provide a mechanism for DTAC to be mandatory and enforceable. In the interim, it will be published as an Information Standards Notice which requires NHS organisations to pay due attention. The use of DTAC is already advised in NHS guidance, including the ‘What Good Looks Like framework’.

Alcoholic Drinks: Labelling

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to Answer of 8 November 2021 to Question 63865 on Alcoholic Drinks: Labelling, when he plans to launch the consultation on alcohol labelling.

Gillian Keegan: The consultation will be launched in due course.

Defibrillators: Finance

Sir Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what financial support his Department has provided for the purchase of defibrillators for installation in public places in the last five years; what recent assessment he has made of the need to install community defibrillators in public places; and what steps he is taking to support the installation of more defibrillators in public places.

Maria Caulfield: In 2015/16, we provided £2 million to increase the availability of Automated External Defibrillators and the number of people trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Since then, we have encouraged communities and organisations across England to consider purchasing a defibrillator as part of first-aid equipment, particularly in locations where there are high concentrations of people. Many community defibrillators have since been provided through national lottery funding, community fundraising schemes, workplace funding or by charities No recent assessment has been made of the need to install community defibrillators in public places. The NHS Long Term Plan has a programme funded in 2022/23 which includes national projects to improve bystander response in relation to out of hospital cardiac arrests.

Infected Blood Inquiry

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has waived legal privilege in respect of the Infected Blood Inquiry.

Maria Caulfield: The Department has waived legal professional privilege in relation to relevant historic litigation and legal advice to the start of the Inquiry in July 2017.

Infected Blood Inquiry

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has waived litigation privilege in respect of the Infected Blood Inquiry.

Maria Caulfield: The Department has waived legal professional privilege in relation to relevant historic litigation and legal advice to the start of the Inquiry in July 2017.

Sickle Cell Diseases: Health Services

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that NHS trusts meet the clinical guidelines on treatment for sickle cell disease.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England and NHS Improvement have service specifications for Haemoglobinopathy Co-ordinating Centres and Specialist Haemoglobinopathy Teams describing the standards and clinical guidelines to be met. The delivery of these services is reviewed by regional teams, with providers required to ensure they meet National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines. Compliance with NICE guidelines on managing acute sickle cell episodes is monitored through NHS England and NHS Improvement’s quality metrics. NHS England and NHS Improvement are developing an action plan for further quality improvement in the care of patients with sickle cell disease.

Department of Health and Social Care: Randox Laboratories

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2022 to Question 101746, on Department of Health and Social Care: Randox Laboratories, for what reason the minute of the phone call of 9 April 2020 is dated 26 November 2020.

Edward Argar: The minute of the phone call of 9 April 2020 provided was contained in an email dated 26 November 2020, sourced following a search of officials’ inboxes.The minute was taken during the meeting and saved in a draft folder of the Private Secretary who took the minute. Due to the fast-paced working environment created by the COVID-19 pandemic, on some occasions notes and minutes were not circulated after the event. We endeavour to accurately record all relevant meetings.

Sickle Cell Diseases: Health Services

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) all people with sickle cell disease receive equal access to red cell exchange therapy and other treatments and (b) the organisation of sickle cell care across the NHS is efficient in patients receiving treatment in a sufficient timeframe.

Maria Caulfield: To coordinate equitable, efficient and timely access to red cell exchange therapy and other treatments for sickle cell disease, there are 10 Haemoglobinopathy Co-ordinating Centres (HCCs), each overseeing Specialist Haemoglobinopathy Teams (SHTs) and local haemoglobinopathy teams. NHS England and NHS Improvement have service specifications for HCCs and SHTs which support providers and clinical teams, describing the standards and clinical guidelines to be met. The service specifications ensure standardised care and equitable delivery across England.

Healthy Start Scheme

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to prioritise products from British producers under the Health Start scheme.

Maria Caulfield: Healthy Start can be used to buy or towards the cost of fresh, frozen or tinned fruit and vegetables, fresh, dried and tinned pulses, cow’s milk and infant formula. These food categories are set out in legislation. There are no plans to alter the legislation to prioritise British produce in these categories.

NHS 111: Mental Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the proposal that by 2023-24 people seeking urgent mental health support in England will be able to do so via the three-digit 111 number, what assessment he has made of the qualifications required for mental health professionals responding to mental health emergency calls.

Gillian Keegan: No formal assessment has been made. Decisions on staffing for mental health helplines is the responsibility of local services and may differ depending on local configurations. NHS England and NHS Improvement have issued guidance to services on the skill mix of staff and the need to facilitate face to face assessments from clinical crisis care specialist staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week, if telephone support is insufficient to assess or meet people’s needs. NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with Health Education England to commission training for staff who work in urgent mental health services, including helplines and will keep the national training and education offer under review.

Department of Health and Social Care: Energy Supply

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what critical infrastructure his Department is responsible for that is reliant on private wire networks for power supply.

Edward Argar: None of the Department’s estates infrastructure is reliant on private wire networks.

Veterans: Health Services

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the commitment in the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan 2022-24 to further develop the Veterans Trauma Network, what steps his Department is taking to improve that service for veterans.

Gillian Keegan: NHS England is committed to further developing the Veterans Trauma Network to create and embed an integrated pathway of clinical and holistic care for veterans. NHS England is working with providers to formalise the arrangements in place with the NHS Trusts that form the Veterans Trauma Network to create stability and certainty over the coming years. We continue to use feedback from veterans who use the service to identify areas for change and improvement.

Mental Health Services: Veterans

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what targets his Department has for waiting time to receive an assessment with the Veterans' Mental Health (a) Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service, (b) Complex Treatment Service and (c) High Intensity Service following first initial contact with Op Courage.

Gillian Keegan: Veterans who self-refer or are referred to the Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service will be offered an initial face-to-face assessment from a care coordinator within 14 days of receipt of the referral.Veterans referred to the Complex Treatment Service will be contracted within three working days of referral and offered an initial appointment within ten working days from receipt of the referral.There are no set targets for referrals to the High Intensity Service as this service augments existing provisions and veterans will already be receiving support within Op COURAGE or mainstream mental health services such as the Crisis Team.

Disability: Health Services

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to review the implementation of the Accessible Information Standard, DCB1605, introduced in 2016, to ensure that the healthcare information and communication support needs of people with a disability, including visual impairments, are being met.

Gillian Keegan: NHS England and NHS Improvement are currently reviewing the Accessible Information Standard (AIS), to ensure that communication needs are met in healthcare provision. The review will consider the effectiveness of the current AIS, how the standard is implemented and enforced in practice and identify recommendations for improvement. NHS England and NHS Improvement are currently in the consultation and engagement phase of the review and expect the updated AIS and supporting documents to be published later in 2022.

Mental Health Services: Sleeping Rough

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people sleeping rough have been supported by the £30 million programme for specialist mental health services set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, in (a) 2019-20, (b) 2020-21 and (c) 2021-22.

Gillian Keegan: Data on access to specialist rough sleeping support services is not currently routinely collected by NHS England and NHS Improvement. However, planned updates to the Mental Health Services Dataset will allow for this to be monitored nationally in the future.

Care Homes

Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the number of places available in care homes; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Keegan: Local authorities are best placed to understand and plan the care and support needs of their local population. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are required to shape their local markets, to ensure a diverse range of high quality, sustainable, person-centred care and support services are available to meet the needs of the local population.The number of overall care home beds has remained broadly constant over the last 10 years from 460,664 beds in 2010 to 457,516 in February 2022. The number of home care agencies in England has increased since 2010. There are over 5,000 more home care agencies now, from 5,780 in 2010 to 11,106 in February 2022. This reflects the growing trend towards caring for people in their own homes, enabling people to live independently, within their community, for as long as possible.

Public Health: Finance

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on what date he plans to announce the size of public health grants to local authorities.

Gillian Keegan: Public Health Grant allocations to local authorities in England for 2022/23 were published on 7 February. These are available from gov.uk at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-health-grants-to-local-authorities-2022-to-2023These were accompanied by a Written Ministerial Statement which is available at the following link:https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2022-02-07/hcws594

Mental Health Services: Sleeping Rough

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there is a target for the number of people sleeping rough who will be supported by the £30 million programme for specialist mental health services set out in the NHS Long Term plan, in (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24.

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has set a target for the number of rough sleepers who will receive support in (a) 2022-23 and (b) 2023-24 from the Government's £30 million programme for specialist mental health services as set out in the NHS Long Term plan.

Gillian Keegan: There is no target for the number of people sleeping rough who will receive support through the £30 million programme for specialist mental health services. However, The NHS Long Term Plan committed to establish new specialist mental health provision for rough sleepers in 20 areas of the highest need by 2023/24. NHS England and NHS Improvement have provided funding to 23 sites and are continuing to expand specialist mental health support to people sleeping rough.

Mental Health Services

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what criteria his Department uses to categorise (a) urgent and (b) very urgent cases for referral to mental health crisis services.

Gillian Keegan: NHS England and NHS Improvement’s mental health clinically-led review of standards states that the specialist urgent mental health crisis service will determine whether a referral requires an urgent or very urgent response. For urgent referrals, this may include high risk behaviour due to mental health symptoms, new or increasing psychiatric symptoms that require timely intervention to prevent full relapse and/or significantly impaired ability for completing activities of daily living or vulnerability due to mental illness, expressing suicidal ideation but no plan or clear intent.For very urgent referrals, this may include those who present a risk of harm to themselves or others, acute suicidal ideation with clear plan and intent, who have a rapidly worsening mental state, who do not require immediate physical health medical intervention, are not threatening violence to others.

Care Homes: Coronavirus

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many care home residents are yet to receive a covid-19 booster vaccine.

Gillian Keegan: As of 6 February 2022, 15,215 or 4.5% of residents in all adult care homes were reported as yet to receive two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and 42,163 or 12.1% were reported as yet to receive the booster dose. A proportion of these residents will be medically exempt from vaccination or may not currently be eligible due to COVID-19 infection or other practical reasons. Residents may also have received their vaccination or booster dose, but it may not yet have been reported.

Mental Health Services: Finance

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has for funding for the Mental Health Recovery Action Plan after 31 March 2022; and if he will increase funding to that service.

Gillian Keegan: The Mental Health Recovery Action Plan provides an additional £500 million of non-recurrent funding for 2021/22, accelerating the expansion of mental health services in the NHS Long Term Plan. We are investing a further £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24 to enable an extra two million people in England to access National Health Service-funded mental health support, with an additional 27,000 mental health professions recruited to support this expansion.We will continue to review the impacts of the pandemic on the nation’s mental health and on mental health services and decisions about funding for future years will be made in due course.

Communication Skills

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the level of uptake of the joint Best start in speech, language and communication guidance among local commissioners and service leads.

Gillian Keegan: A survey has been sent to practitioners in England who attended training on the new Early Language Identification Measure and Intervention in 2021 to assess awareness of the guidance and whether speech, language and communication pathways are in place. In addition, regional early years speech, language and communication communities of practice facilitated by Departmental officials took place between July and November 2021 and are continuing into 2022 to share best practice on the use and implementation of the guidance.

Disability: Health Services

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure every disabled child can access the therapies and health services they need.

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help NHS trusts meet legal targets on the delivery of disabled children’s services.

Gillian Keegan: The ‘2022/23 priorities and operational planning guidance’, published in December 2021, includes a requirement for local health systems in England to agree a plan for reducing community service waiting lists. The aim is to prioritise patients on waiting lists and consider transforming service pathways to improve effectiveness and productivity. NHS England and NHS Improvement published the ‘Community services prioritisation framework’ on 11 January 2022. This sets an expectation that community health services which have been delayed or paused as a result of COVID-19, including therapy services for children and young people, should resume from 1 March 2022.There are no legal referral targets for disabled children’s health services. The NHS Constitution for England provides that patients have the right to access certain services, which may include health services for disabled children, within maximum waiting times, or for the National Health Service to offer suitable alternatives if this is not possible.

Healthy Start Scheme: Foreign Nationals

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact on the health of people without indefinite leave to remain of a lack of access to Healthy Start vouchers.

Maria Caulfield: Those without indefinite leave to remain can apply for the Healthy Start Temporary Extension if they have one or more British children aged under four years old, their family’s take-home pay is £408 or less per month and they are excluded from claiming public funds as a consequence of their immigration status.

Sickle Cell Diseases: Health Services

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what programme of training is being implemented to ensure that the NHS workforce has adequate training on sickle cell disease.

Edward Argar: The haematology medical curriculum includes understanding sickle cell and thalassemia as core competencies. Health Education England (HEE) has held discussions with the Royal Colleges of Pathology and Physicians to ensure this curriculum is deliverable to all four nations, in line with General Medical Council standards.HEE additionally provides two ‘eLearning for healthcare’ programmes with sickle cell content: NHS Screening Programmes and the Maternity Support Worker Programme. Wider eLearning programmes with sessions on sickle cell disease include anaesthesia, radiology, and pain.

Brain: Tumours

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of clinical nurse specialists who specialise in brain tumours; and what steps the NHS is taking to ensure that all brain tumour patients have access to a named clinical nurse specialist.

Edward Argar: No specific estimate has been made as cancer nurse specialists are not separately identifiable in the National Health Service Electronic Staff Record. As part of a £52 million investment in the cancer and diagnostics workforce in 2021/22, Health Education England is offering 250 training grants to enable existing and aspiring cancer nurse specialists to undertake additional training to develop specialist clinical, leadership, education and research capabilities, including in relation to brain tumours.

Ambulance Services: Standards

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health & Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve ambulance response times for Category 2 emergencies.

Edward Argar: Ambulance trusts are being supported by NHS England and NHS Improvement to improve response times, including responses to Category 2 emergencies. NHS England and NHS Improvement have allocated a further £55 million to ambulance trusts to increase staff numbers, to provide over 700 additional staff in control rooms and on the frontline to improve response times. This is alongside a £4.4 million capital investment for an additional 154 ambulances this winter.

Mental Health Services: Yorkshire and the Humber

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the locations of the Mental Health Hubs for NHS staff are in the Yorkshire and Humber region; and whether he has plans to establish more of those hubs in that region.

Edward Argar: There are three Mental Health Hubs in Yorkshire and the Humber region: the Humber, Coast and Vale Resilience Hub; the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Resilience Hub; and the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health Care Partnership Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub. There are no plans for further hubs in the region, as each Hub serves the three integrated care systems in Yorkshire and Humber.

Members: Correspondence

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care when he plans to reply to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead of 11 November 2021, case number MP72424, on providing proof of covid booster vaccination.

Edward Argar: We replied to the Rt hon. Member on 22 February 2022.

Department of Health and Social Care: Coronavirus

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to mandate individual risk assessments for all employees in his Department before they return to the workplace following the easing of covid-19 restrictions; and how many individual risk assessments for people returning to work have been conducted by his Department as of 21 February 2022.

Edward Argar: We are not mandating individual risk assessments for employees before they return to the office but are encouraging managers and staff to have a conversation about risks and potential mitigations and support that can be put in place using the COVID-19 Individual Risk Indicator toolkit. This is linked to the latest guidance on those whose immune system means they are at higher risk of infection. We do not centrally monitor the number of discussions and have no plans to collect this data.

Gynaecology: Waiting Lists

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his oral contribution of 8 February, Official Report, column 805, on the NHS’s delivery plan for tackling the covid-19 backlog of elective care, what plans his Department has to ensure that the NHS's delivery plan tackles the backlog of elective care for menstrual health conditions.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his oral contribution of 8 February, Official Report, column 805, on the NHS’s delivery plan for tackling the covid-19 backlog of elective care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of prioritising specialities with longer waiting lists; and what plans his Department has to tackle the backlog of elective care for gynaecology.

Edward Argar: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’ outlines how the National Health Service will reduce waiting times across all elective services including gynaecology and menstrual health. While the plan does not prioritise specialties, it commits to eradicate all waiting times of longer than a year for elective care by March 2025, except in the case of patient choice. We plan that by July 2022, no one will wait longer than two years, we aim to eliminate waiting times of over 18 months by April 2023 and over 65 weeks by March 2024. The plan also recognises that a small number of highly specialised areas may need tailored plans to tackle the backlog.The plan commits to investing in the physical separation of routine care to protect planned services from emergency care pressures where possible. At least 100 community diagnostic centres will be available by March 2025, supplying additional tests including many for gynaecological pathways. We are increasing capacity for gynaecological surgery to tackle waiting lists through the surgical hub and High Volume Low Complexity programme. Some gynaecological services, such as menstrual health services, are predominantly provided by general practitioners (GPs) which remained open. We have invested £520 million to improve access and expand GP capacity during the pandemic. This is in addition to £1.5 billion announced in 2020 to create an additional 50 million GP appointments by 2024 by increasing and diversifying the workforce.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2022 to Question 120897, on Prescriptions: Fees and Charges, if he will undertake an assessment of the potential merits of bringing England in line with the rest of the UK by removing prescription charges.

Edward Argar: We have no plans to do so.

HIV Infection

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what mechanism his Department plans to use to monitor progress on the implementation of the national HIV Action Plan.

Maria Caulfield: The UK Health Security Agency will publish a monitoring and evaluation framework this year. The framework will set out the key indicators which will be used to monitor implementation of the HIV Action Plan. A national HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group is being established to oversee the delivery of the HIV Action Plan.

Vaccination: Medical Equipment

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the average cost to the NHS is of (a).one syringe used for delivery of a covid-19 or similar vaccine and (b) one glass vial used for storage of a covid-19 or similar vaccine.

Maggie Throup: The average price per combined needle and syringe used for COVID-19 vaccines is £0.08, including VAT. There is no specifically identifiable cost for the vials associated with COVID-19 vaccine.

Communication Skills

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the progress of the rollout of the (a) offering tailored support and (b) all other stages of the Early Language Intervention Measure amongst health visitors.

Maria Caulfield: The Early Language Identification Measure (ELIM) and Intervention was published in December 2020, with a training programme in 2021 for early years professionals, including health visitors, from local authorities in England. A post-training survey and regional early years speech, language and communication communities of practice facilitated by Departmental officials continue to gather information on the use of the ELIM and Intervention. Initial feedback has shown that it is now being implemented in a number of local areas.

Pregnancy: Fluoride

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential for fluoride to cause foetal brain damage through the amniotic fluid of pregnant mothers.

Maria Caulfield: There are a number of authoritative reviews which concur that there is no convincing evidence that water fluoridation is harmful to health, including causing foetal brain damage, at the levels seen in water fluoridation schemes in the United Kingdom. Fluoride is present throughout the natural world including in water supplies and there are areas of the country where levels of fluoride in drinking water are naturally at similar levels to those seen in artificial fluoridation schemes. We are required to monitor the effects of water fluoridation schemes on the health of people living in those areas and to produce reports every four years. The next report is due to be published in March 2022.

HIV Infection

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department plans to publish the monitoring and evaluation framework for the national HIV Action Plan.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which organisations his Department plans to consult on the drafting of the monitoring and evaluation framework for the national HIV Action Plan.

Maria Caulfield: The monitoring and evaluation framework for the HIV Action Plan in England will be published later in 2022. The UK Health Security Agency will work with the HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group and collaborate with academics, commissioners, clinicians and community partners in the development of the monitoring and evaluation framework.

Mental Health Services: Sheffield

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many of the 400 mental health support teams to be delivered by April 2023 will be in Sheffield.

Gillian Keegan: The information on the number of mental health support teams and funding allocated for Sheffield is not held in the format requested. Data on mental health support teams will be published as it becomes available at integrated care system (ICS) level. Sixteen  mental health support teams are planned to be in place across South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw ICS by 2023/24. NHS Long Term Plan funding for the delivery of mental health support teams has been allocated across National Health Service regions using a fair-share model based on weighted population.

Education: Mental Health Services

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding has been allocated to Sheffield for the delivery of mental health support teams in schools and colleges in (a) 2021-22 and (b) 2022-23.

Gillian Keegan: The information on the number of mental health support teams and funding allocated for Sheffield is not held in the format requested. Data on mental health support teams will be published as it becomes available at integrated care system (ICS) level. Sixteen  mental health support teams are planned to be in place across South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw ICS by 2023/24. NHS Long Term Plan funding for the delivery of mental health support teams has been allocated across National Health Service regions using a fair-share model based on weighted population.

Department for Education

Pre-school Education: Coronavirus

Dame Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what (a) financial and (b) other steps he is taking to help support nurseries and early years settings in (i) Gosport constituency, (ii) Hampshire and (iii) England facing disruption related to the covid-19 outbreak.

Will Quince: As we take the next steps in living with COVID-19, we remain committed to doing everything possible to protect face-to-face education and care, and keep early years providers open for all children.At the Spending Review on 27 October 2021, the government announced additional funding of £160 million in the financial years 2022-23, £180 million in 2023-24, and £170 million in 2024-25, as compared to the current financial year. This is for local authorities to increase hourly rates paid to childcare providers. It also reflects cost pressures as well as anticipated changes in the number of eligible children.The department continues to publish comprehensive guidance to support nurseries and other early years providers in delivering a safe and secure environment for children and staff as we continue to learn to live with COVID-19. This applies to providers across England. This guidance explains the control measures that providers should take to reduce the spread of COVID-19. This includes ensuring good hygiene, maintaining appropriate cleaning regimes, and keeping spaces well-ventilated.The department has also issued guidance to clarify that providers can use the existing flexibilities on ratios that are set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework. This will help manage short-term workforce pressures so long as children continue to be cared for safely.The government continues to monitor the early years sector for issues, including through engagement with local authorities. These support measures apply to all early years and childcare providers across England.

Apprentices: Transport

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to encourage employers to take on apprentices in the transport sector.

Alex Burghart: Employers in the transport and logistics sector have so far developed 37 high quality apprenticeships in occupations such as air traffic controller and train driver. There were 9,095 starts in this sector in the 2020/21 academic year, with a further 3,125 starts so far in the first quarter of the 2021/22 academic year.To support apprenticeships in all sectors, the department is increasing funding for apprenticeships in England to £2.7 billion by the 2024-25 financial year. The department is also encouraging the use of more flexible training models, such as front-loaded and accelerated training and flexi-job apprenticeships to ensure apprentices are ready to work on-site and can benefit from high-quality long-term training that an apprenticeship provides.To support the increased uptake of high-quality apprenticeships in the haulage sector, last August we launched a new version of the Large Goods Vehicle Driver apprenticeship. The department has increased funding for this apprenticeship from £5,000 to £7,000 to support providers delivering this standard. The department has also supported the industry to develop a new Urban Delivery Driver apprenticeship, which enables apprentices to obtain a Cat C licence alongside a range of driver skills.

Pupils: Hearing Impairment

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 17 May 2021 to Question 493 on Pupils: Hearing Impairment, what recent assessment he made of the potential merits of providing clear facemasks to enable lip reading for deaf children in schools during the covid-19 outbreak.

Will Quince: The use of face coverings may have a particular impact on those who rely on visual signals for communication. Those who communicate with visual signals, or provide support to those who do, are exempt from any recommendation to wear face coverings in education and childcare provision.Face to face education for all students continues to be our top priority. Our guidance is clear that face coverings in classrooms are no longer required. In circumstances where face coverings are temporarily and exceptionally advised by directors of public health, transparent face coverings can also be worn. Transparent face coverings may be effective in reducing the spread of COVID-19. However, the evidence to support this is currently very limited.Face visors or shields can be worn by those exempt from wearing a face covering, but they are not an equivalent alternative in terms of source control of virus transmission. They should only be used after carrying out a risk assessment for the specific situation and should always be cleaned appropriately.

Children: Social Services

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department is continuing the Vulnerable Children and Young People Survey; and whether he has made an estimate of the number of children being referred to local authority children’s social care department since July 2021.

Will Quince: The vulnerable children and young people survey was set up in May 2020. It has been running regularly throughout the COVID-19 outbreak and will be continued as we emerge from the COVID-19 outbreak. The survey has provided the department with crucial data on the pressures faced by local authorities, allowing the department to support them through these challenging times. The department is conscious of the burden on local authorities and will continue the survey only as long as is necessary.From the survey, the department estimates the number of referrals in September 2021 was around the same as an average of the same week in 2017-20 nationally. The number of referrals then fell to 8% lower in October, 6% lower in November, and 9% lower in December 2021.These are estimates based on data from around 77% of local authorities and on data for one week within each month. The figure for December should be interpreted with additional caution due to the changing timings of the Christmas holidays each year.As there may be multiple referrals per child within a month, the department cannot estimate the number of children referred to local authority children’s social care. A summary of all the vulnerable children and young people survey responses is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vulnerable-children-and-young-people-survey.

Qualifications

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to provide further information on the timeline for implementation of reforms to post-16 qualifications at Level 3, including funding criteria and the list of qualifications to be included in the first wave of defunding.

Alex Burghart: In November 2021, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced an extra year before reforms to level 3 qualifications are introduced, providing an extra year to support the growth of T Levels and give more notice to allow providers and awarding organisations to prepare. This means qualifications that duplicate the content and purpose of wave 1 and 2 T Levels will now have public funding approval withdrawn from 2024 (previously 2023). We plan to publish a provisional list of these qualifications shortly.All qualifications approved for funding in future will need to meet rigorous quality standards. We are working closely with Ofqual and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education as they develop the approval process, subject to the passage of the Skills Bill. We will publish further information on the funding and approval criteria in due course.The department has also recently announced that the Digital pathfinder will be merged into the first full cycle of approvals alongside other reformed technical qualifications with first delivery in 2025.

Department for Education: Coronavirus

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to mandate individual risk assessments for all employees in his Department before they return to the workplace following the easing of covid-19 restrictions; and how many individual risk assessments for people returning to work have been conducted by his Department as of 21 February 2022.

Michelle Donelan: The department is not mandating individual risk assessments for all employees. Instead, we are encouraging line managers and employees to have discussions regarding returning to the workplace, with consideration for individual risk assessments where deemed necessary by either the line manager and/or the employee.

Communication Skills

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make it his policy to ensure that any future Early Years Recovery Plan also includes a focus on speaking and understanding language.

Will Quince: Early language acquisition impacts all aspects of young children’s non-physical development. It contributes to their ability to manage emotions and communicate feelings, to establish and maintain relationships, to think symbolically, and to learn to read and write. That is why early language development is at the heart of the department’s early years education recovery programmes.The department is investing up to £180 million of recovery support in the early years sector through new programmes. The programmes focus on key areas such as speech and language development for the youngest children.This includes:new, universally accessible online training to upskill practitioners and improve their knowledge of child development;access to mentoring support for early years practitioners to help strengthen children’s teaching and development;an expansion of the Early Years Professional Development Programme, which has a focus on early language, as well as maths and personal, social, and emotional developmenta significant expansion of the number of staff in group-based providers and childminders, with an accredited level 3 special educational needs coordinator qualification. This will lead to better identification of special education needs and disabilities (SEND), and better support for children with SEND;the Nuffield Early Language Intervention, which is a proven programme aimed at reception-aged children needing extra support with speech and language development. It includes training for staff on identifying speech and language difficulties, and is proven to help children make around three months of additional progress. Two thirds of all primary schools are signed up to deliver this programme;the review of the Early Years Educator level 3 qualification, which will explore ways to strengthen SEND expertise in the workforce; andprogrammes to train early years practitioners to support parents with the home learning environment, and improve children’s early language and social and emotional development by giving priority to families that would benefit the most.

Home Education

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans his Department has to introduce a compulsory register of home educated children.

Will Quince: The government is committed to a form of local authority register for children not in school, which would require parents to register with local authorities should they want to home educate. Further details on this are in the Children Not In School consultation response, which was published on 3 February 2022. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/children-not-in-school.The department hopes to legislate on this measure at the next suitable opportunity.

Vocational Education

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he will publish the Government's response to the post-16 study at level 2 and below consultation.

Alex Burghart: On 10 November 2020, the department published a call for evidence on post-16 study and qualifications at level 2 and below. The call for evidence set out the department’s ambitions and invited views on what is working well, and what more can be done to support those studying at these levels to realise their potential. The call for evidence closed on 14 February 2021.This was the first step towards reform, allowing the department to gather evidence from the education sector, industry and students. The next step is to consult on detailed proposals. We will be publishing the consultation soon.

Numeracy

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 19 January 2022 to Question 101845 on Numeracy, on what date the Statutory Instrument was laid which amended the Education Order 2003 (National Curriculum, Key Stage 2 Assessment Arrangements, England) in 2019 to make provision for the statutory administration of the multiplication tables check.

Mr Robin Walker: The Education (National Curriculum) (Key Stage 2 Assessment Arrangements) (England) (Amendment) Order 2019 was made on 10 April 2019. This amended the Education (National Curriculum) (Key Stage 2 Assessment Arrangements) (England) Order 2003 to make provision for the statutory administration of the multiplication tables check (MTC) for all eligible year 4 pupils from the 2019/20 academic year. Due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, the department cancelled all primary assessments, including the MTC, in the 2019/20 and 2020/21 academic years, and disapplied the legislation for these assessments for these two academic years.The department has confirmed that statutory primary assessments will take place in the 2021/22 academic year, including the MTC.

Literacy

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many primary school children were below their expected reading age in (a) 2018, (b) 2019, (c) 2020 and (d) 2021.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will provide a geographical breakdown by (a) local authority, (b) region and (c) parliamentary constituency of children who are below their expected reading age.

Mr Robin Walker: The department does not hold information on the number of pupils below their reading age in primary school. The closest information available is the number of pupils not meeting the expected standard in reading at the end of key stage 2. This data was not recorded for academic years 2019/20 or 2020/21 due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak.The number of pupils not meeting the expected standard in reading at the end of key stage 2 was 154,169 (25%) in 2018 and 173,765 (27%) in 2019.The number of pupils not meeting the expected standard in reading at the end of key stage 2 in state-funded schools for each local authority, region and parliamentary constituency in 2019 is in the attached table.  126840_126841_table (xls, 159.0KB)

Schools: Ventilation

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will publish a geographical breakdown by (a) local authority and (b) parliamentary constituency of his Department's statistics published on 17 February 2022 on delivery of air cleaning units to education settings.

Mr Robin Walker: To fulfil all eligible applications, up to 9,000 air cleaning units will be provided to state-funded education providers for poorly ventilated teaching spaces where quick fixes to improve ventilation are not possible. As of 24 January 2022, 1,265 providers were eligible to receive air cleaning units. These were allocated to providers based on need, using the eligibility criteria we have set out in our guidance.As of 11 February, 6,311 air cleaning units have been delivered to state-funded education providers. A breakdown of this data by local authority is available in the attached table. We do not hold this data by parliamentary constituency.Natural ventilation is best where that is achievable, and we have robust evidence that in the vast majority of cases, teaching spaces and classrooms benefit from sufficient natural ventilation. That evidence includes the responses to our recent survey of providers using the carbon dioxide monitors that we published on 24 January. This showed that only 3% of providers reported sustained high CO2 readings (above 1,500ppm) that could not be remedied through quick fixes or remedial building works. The survey findings are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/co2-monitor-survey-and-applications-for-air-cleaning-units. 126839_table (xls, 82.0KB)

Asylum: Children

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many serious incident notifications were made to the Child Safeguarding Practice Review Panel in respect of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in each month from 1 July 2021 to 31 January 2022.

Will Quince: Serious incident data held by the department does not currently indicate whether an incident relates to an unaccompanied asylum-seeking child. However, the department is in the process of making changes to the notification system which will include whether a serious incident relates to an unaccompanied asylum-seeking child.

Ministry of Justice

Domestic Abuse

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent progress he has made on creating a statement of practice on domestic abuse.

Tom Pursglove: In response to the MoJ expert panel’s report, published in 2020, the Government committed to working with all key partners in the family justice system to design a statement of practice for cases raising issues of domestic abuse or other risks of harm. This statement of practice will take into account provisions made in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, and learning from the development of the Integrated Domestic Abuse Courts. This is being progressed jointly by system leaders with oversight from the Family Justice Board.

Trials

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many trials were abandoned (a) from their start dates and (b) due to a lack of (i) prosecution and (ii) defence advocates in each of the last five years.

James Cartlidge: Data collated centrally by MOJ does not include a count of ‘abandoned’ trials; instead we collect data on trials that are rescheduled for a future listing (ineffective).An ineffective trial is a trial that does not go ahead on the scheduled trial date and a further listing is required. This can be due to action or inaction by one or more of the prosecution, the defence or the court.This data is published as part of the Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly release and the latest data is available to September 2021: Criminal court statistics quarterly: July to September 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) There are a number of reasons why a trial might be ineffective. For example, 16% of ineffective trials in 2021 are caused by either the prosecution or defence not being ready to proceed, and 12% are caused by the prosecution witness being absent.We continue to work with Criminal Justice System partners to increase compliance with Better Case Management, a set of best practice principles published in 2015, and – in doing so – reduce the ineffective trial rate by ensuring all parties are fully prepared for the trial.

Criminal Proceedings

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the (a) mean and (b) median number of days taken from offence to completion of criminal cases for (i) Crown and (ii) Magistrates Court in England and Wales, broken down by individual court and region for each of the last three years for which figures are available.

James Cartlidge: Please see the attached tables with the mean and median timeliness from offence to completion, as follows:o Table 1 – Days from offence to completion at Crown Court, by year (the latest available data, broken down by region and Crown Court)o Table 2 – Days from offence to completion at Magistrates, by year (the latest available data, broken down by region and Local Justice Area (LJA)) The pandemic is the primary cause of the increased caseload in our courts. The outstanding caseload reduced significantly pre-pandemic – from over 55,000 in late 2014 to c.33,000 in late 2018. Timeliness from offence to completion is a complex picture as it involves several partners across the Criminal Justice System. The Police and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) have both committed to a programme of work on more efficient case progression, more information on which can be found here: National Case Progression Commitment: College of Policing, National Police Chiefs' Council and Crown Prosecution Service, March 2021 | The Crown Prosecution Service (cps.gov.uk) We invested a quarter of a billion pounds to support recovery in the last financial year (20/21); extended 32 Crown Nightingale courtrooms until the end of March 2022; opened two new ‘super courtrooms’ in Manchester and Loughborough; removed the limit on the number of days the Crown Court can sit in the 21/22 financial year, and our rapid roll out of video technology, which equipped over 70 per cent of all courtrooms with the video hardware to use Cloud Video Platform, enabled up to 20,000 cases to be heard virtually each week at the height of the pandemic. These measures are working – the backlog in the Crown Court has reduced from around 61,000 cases in June 2021 to around 58,400 cases at the end of December 2021 (Source: HMCTS Monthly MI). In the magistrates’ court, the criminal caseload has fallen from 436,000 in June 2020 to 375,700 in December 2021 – a reduction of 14% (Source: HMCTS Monthly MI). Looking ahead, as part of the Spending Review, we will be investing £477 million in the Criminal Justice System over the next three years which will allow us to reduce Crown Court backlogs to an estimated 53,000 by March 2025. In the next financial year we expect to get through 20% more Crown Court cases than we did pre-Covid (117,000 in 22/23 compared to 97,000 in 19/20).We are also extending magistrates’ court sentencing powers from 6 to 12 months for a single Triable Either Way offence to allow more cases to be heard in the magistrates' court.Table (xlsx, 281.3KB)

Aiding and Abetting

Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department has taken to collect data on the number of cases brought under joint enterprise since the Supreme Court judgment in the case of Jogee, which was handed down in February 2016.

James Cartlidge: The Ministry of Justice only collects information on how many defendants are prosecuted and convicted for each offence in any given year. Information is not collated on whether a prosecution or conviction relied on the law of joint enterprise. Such information may be held on court records but could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Ministry of Justice: Coronavirus

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy to mandate individual risk assessments for all employees in his Department before they return to the workplace following the easing of covid-19 restrictions; and how many individual risk assessments for people returning to work have been conducted by his Department as of 21 February 2022.

James Cartlidge: All employers are required to conduct a health and safety risk assessment that includes the risks of COVID-19 in the workplace. Within the Civil Service, managers are also encouraged to conduct an individual risk assessment with their employees, ensuring that personal risk factors are considered and, where identified, control measures are put in place to reduce their level of risk when returning to the workplace. A decision on whether it is safe for an employee to return to the workplace will be based on the outcomes of those risk assessments. Information concerning the number of individual risk assessments for people returning to work can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Magistrates' Courts: Closures

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many closed magistrates' courts have not yet been repurposed for another use.

James Cartlidge: HMCTS does not hold information about the current use of courts that it has sold.Of the seven former magistrates’ court buildings which have been closed and are still owned by HMCTS, one is in use as a Nightingale Court and two have sales due to complete in April 2022. The remaining sites are in the process of being sold.The decision to close any court is not taken lightly. It only happens following full public consultation and only when effective access to justice can be maintained. Courts that have closed were either underused, dilapidated or too close to one another.

Magistrates' Courts: Closures

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many closed magistrates' courts has his Department considered using as Nightingale courts.

James Cartlidge: HMCTS considered over 20 former magistrates’ court buildings for potential use as temporary Nightingale courts. These were courts which either HMCTS still owned, or where the new owners had not yet redeveloped the building. Social distancing rules severely restricted our ability to carry out face-to-face hearings. In response, one of our recovery measures was to establish Nightingale courts that could meet social distancing requirements. Nightingale courts have proven to be essential to supporting the justice system throughout the pandemic. Nightingale courts are large courts, designed to operate with safe social distancing in place. Few, if any, of our former magistrates’ courts were large enough to meet this requirement. Nightingale courts have been set up in locations where there is an operational need, with a particular focus on enabling Crown Court jury trials to maximise our recovery plans. Very few former magistrates’ courts were able to meet our requirements and would have required significant investment and time to complete the necessary works before the court could become operational.

Prisons: Safety

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish a breakdown of data held by his Department on the number of adult safeguarding concerns recorded in prisons.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many adult safeguarding concerns were recorded in prisons in England in (a) 2019, (b) 2020 and (c) 2021.

Victoria Atkins: It is essential that safeguarding concerns regarding prisoners are recorded and acted upon. Action needs to be taken at local level, so the information requested is held within establishments. A variety of different systems and processes are used for this purpose. As records are held locally rather than centrally, to gather the information requested it would be necessary to make individual enquiries of every prison establishment, and this could not be done without incurring disproportionate cost.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Palestinians: Schools

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 25 March 2020 to Question 31567 on Palestinians: Schools, what representations the Government made to the Palestinian Authority on concerns over school naming; and what assessment she has made of the impact of those representations on the decision not to rename those schools.

Amanda Milling: The UK Government is clear that incitement to hatred or violence is unacceptable from all parties and should have no place in education. Our partnership with the Palestinian Authority includes a commitment from the Palestinian leadership to adhere to the principle of non-violence and to tackle any language and actions that could incite violence or hatred. We continue to urge the Israeli and Palestinian leaderships to avoid engaging in, or encouraging, any type of action and language that makes it more difficult to achieve a negotiated solution to the conflict.

Israel: Palestinians

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the compatibility of recent engagements between Israel and Palestine with international law.

Amanda Milling: We support direct engagement between the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority. We welcome recent engagement that includes discussions between the Ministries of Finance aimed at improving the economic conditions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will take steps to ensure that the 100 million covid-19 vaccines donated overseas will (a) have a shelf life of at least six months and (b) be supplied with all necessary parts, including syringes.

Amanda Milling: Decisions on donations are driven by the availability of vaccines from domestic supply. Once the Health Secretary is confident vaccines are available to donate, the Foreign Secretary prioritises how they are shared. The UK supply chain is carefully managed to ensure that vaccine doses are used and have impact as quickly as possible, either in the UK or beyond.For all bilateral donations we have sought assurances that recipients have the capacity to roll-out the quantity of doses in line with the national vaccination programmes ahead of their expiry date. For donations through COVAX, the UK is working closely with COVAX and its international partners such as UNICEF to allocate vaccines according to need, facilitate the rapid delivery of doses and maximise the shelf life available to recipients. This includes the provision of regular forecasts to COVAX to assist planning. Vaccines delivered by COVAX are distributed in line with the World Health Organisation's 'equitable allocation framework', which helps ensure COVAX doses reach those countries most in need. The UK has worked closely with COVAX on its recently published investment opportunity, including its financing assessments for the purchase and distribution of ancillary vaccination equipment.

Rohingya: Refugees

Chris Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will increase UK aid to the Rohingya refugee camps to previous levels in response to the deteriorating prospect of Rohingya refugees being able to return to Myanmar in the near-future.

Amanda Milling: We are deeply concerned about the worsening conditions for the Rohingya in Myanmar and are monitoring the situation closely. The UK remains a leading donor, despite financial pressures, and have provided over £320 million to the Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh since 2017. We are committed to returning Official Development Assistance to 0.7% of Gross National Income as soon as the fiscal situation allows. Until then, we are ensuring our aid is delivered strategically, using our combined skills on development, humanitarian, diplomacy and defence to further our response to the Rohingya refugee crisis.

Bahrain: Human Rights

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made for the implications of her policy of the human rights situation in Bahrain following the recent visit of her Ministerial colleague to Bahrain.

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions her Department held on human rights (a) concerns and (b) cases during their recent visit to Bahrain.

Amanda Milling: Bahrain is a Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office human rights priority country. Our annual Human Rights Report, published last in July 2021, contains our most recent assessment. We regularly discuss human rights issues and individual cases with senior members of the Government of Bahrain, as well as with the independent human rights oversight bodies. The visit to Bahrain from 13-14 February by the Minister of State for South and Central Asia, UN and the Commonwealth, Lord (Tariq) Ahmad was a further opportunity to do so.

Israel: Palestinians

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has had discussions with her counterpart in Israel on the findings of the research study by Amnesty International entitled Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians.

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her policies of the findings of the research study by Amnesty International entitled Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians.

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to accept the recommendations of Amnesty International's report entitled Israel’s apartheid against Palestinians.

Amanda Milling: We do not agree with the use of this terminology. Any judgment on whether serious crimes under international law have occurred is a matter for judicial decision, rather than for governments or non-judicial bodies. As a friend of Israel, we have a regular dialogue on human rights. This includes encouraging the Government of Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and do all it can to uphold the values of equality for all.

Russia: Ukraine

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when she last spoke to representatives of (a) the governments of (i) Poland, (ii) Slovakia, (iii) Hungary, (iv) Romania, (v) Moldova, (vi) Turkey, (vii) Bulgaria, (b) UNHCR, (c) IOM and (d) ICRC on contingency plans for supporting internally displaced persons, or refugees crossing or attempting to cross international land or maritime borders in the event of conflict in Ukraine.

James Cleverly: The UK is one of the largest humanitarian and development donors globally. We are in constant dialogue with other donors and the humanitarian agencies at the country-level, at HQ-level, and in New York and Geneva, and urge all parties to continue to co-ordinate closely. We stand ready to provide further assistance as needed.Our Embassies in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Moldova, Turkey and Bulgaria are in regular contact with their host governments, the Foreign Secretary and FCDO Ministers have engaged with a range of partners, including those listed, as well as international and multilateral organisations about Russian aggression towards Ukraine. We continue to work closely with our Allies, partners and relevant international organisations and stand ready to provide further assistance as needed.

Yemen: Food Aid

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of the World Food Project reducing the size of food rations for 8 million people on the health and wellbeing of people affected; and what steps she is taking to mitigate that impact.

Amanda Milling: The reduction in food assistance to 8 million Yemenis, following reductions in funding to the World Food Programme (WFP), is driving even greater food insecurity in Yemen. The humanitarian response in Yemen has managed to prevent famine, but funds are now close to being exhausted. We are calling on all donors to pledge generously at the 2022 Yemen conference on 16 March so that vital aid programmes can continue, alongside ensuring that UK aid is targeted at those most in need. If the humanitarian response is not adequately funded there is a real prospect that large numbers of Yemenis will not have enough food to eat.Since the conflict began, the UK has committed over £1 billion and supported the WFP with almost £260 million. Despite the financial pressures at home, the UK remains a leading donor to the UN appeal. This financial year, the UK aid pledge included £25m to the WFP to feed on average 240,000 of the most vulnerable Yemenis every month.

Turkey: Human Rights

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the human rights situation in Turkey.

James Cleverly: We are clear in our expectation that Turkey, like all countries, should live up to its human rights obligations towards all its citizens. We continue to call on Turkey to act in line with Council of Europe conventions and broader democratic norms, as well as making progress on domestic judicial reforms. We also encourage comprehensive implementation of Turkey's 2021 Human Rights Action Plan. We keep these issues under regular review.

Papua New Guinea: Press Freedom

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) recent assessment has she made of press freedoms in Papua New Guinea and (b) steps is she taking to help support the independence of the press in that region.

Vicky Ford: The UK remains fully committed to media freedom in Papua New Guinea, including as a platform for balanced political discourse in advance of national elections in June 2022. The UK referenced freedom of expression in its Universal Periodic Review of Papua New Guinea in November 2021. A free and independent media is an essential component of a functioning democratic society, in the Pacific as elsewhere.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether all Afghan nationals called forward during Op Pitting but remain in Afghanistan have been contacted by her Department.

James Cleverly: The UK has supported over 3700 individuals to leave Afghanistan since the end of Op Pitting. This includes vulnerable Afghans and British nationals and their dependents. We continue to work across Government, via FCDO, Ministry of Defence and Home Office to contact those eligible, still in Afghanistan and who wish to leave, including those called forward during the operation, to depart the country safely. This includes holding the Taliban to their commitment to ensure safe passage.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what criteria the British High Commission use when deciding who to relocate from Pakistan under the Afghan Assistance and Relocation Policy.

James Cleverly: The criteria used for decisions under the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy are set out in paragraphs 276BA1 to 276BS5 of the Immigration Rules.

Afghanistan: Chevening Scholarships Programme

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help support Chevening scholars from Afghanistan for the academic year 2020-21 whose biometric residence permits have expired.

James Cleverly: We are aware that there are Chevening scholars from Afghanistan for the academic year 2020-21 whose biometric residence permits have expired. We are working with the Home Office to clarify options for this group to regularise their stay. Hardship funds have been provided to eligible scholars from this cohort this financial year.

Afghanistan: British Nationals Abroad

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of UK nationals remaining in Afghanistan who have raised concerns about their ability to access food.

James Cleverly: We remain acutely aware of the difficulties those in Afghanistan are facing. The FCDO has announced a doubling of our humanitarian aid and development assistance commitment to Afghanistan to £286 million. Over £176 million has been dispersed, supporting over 6.1 million people in Afghanistan and the region in providing emergency food, health, shelter, water and protection. This includes British nationals and their families who remain in Afghanistan. British nationals can continue to access consular assistance by phone on a 24/7 basis. We encourage all British nationals in Afghanistan to check Travel Advice and confirm their presence using the online registration system. The UK remains fully committed to supporting Afghanistan and its people.

Bangladesh: Police

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of US State Department's decision to issue sanctions against Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) of the Bangladesh Police; and if she will make a statement.

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether UK police officers provide training for the Bangladeshi Police's Rapid Action Battalion.

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions her Departmental officials have had with their counterparts in Bangladesh over alleged human rights abuses conducted by the Bangladeshi Rapid Action Battalion.

Sam Tarry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the application of the Government's Magnitsky sanctions regime to Bangladeshi Government officials associated with the Rapid Action Battalion of its police force.

Vicky Ford: Human rights violations by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) are a serious concern. We continue to raise our concerns over the protection of human rights in Bangladesh, including during Lord Ahmad's visit in November 2021 and in regular diplomatic exchanges. Bangladesh is an important UK security partner, and we maintain productive relationships with Bangladeshi security actors who operate in compliance with human rights. The UK does not provide training to the RAB.We are aware of US sanctions on officials in Bangladesh. This is a decision by the US Government. The Global Human Rights Sanctions regime gives the UK a powerful tool to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations or abuses. We will continue to consider targets globally, guided by the objectives of the human rights sanctions regime and the evidence. We do not speculate on who may be designated in the future.

Afghanistan: International Assistance

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2022 to Question 119771, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the humanitarian aid and development assistance it is providing to Afghanistan will be targeted towards those Afghan citizens that most need that aid and assistance.

James Cleverly: On 28 January, the Foreign Secretary announced £97 million humanitarian assistance. We are now delivering on the UK's promise to double UK aid to Afghanistan to £286 million in 2021-22.Afghanistan is now the world's most severe food security crisis and UK Aid will provide emergency food assistance for 4.47 million people. Our humanitarian programmes will provide assistance to the most vulnerable, including women and girls. The UK government continues to work closely with the UN and non-governmental organisations (NGO) to ensure that UK aid benefits Afghans in need while meeting our international obligations. We are working with them to assess the changing situation on the ground and assess needs. We deliver through UN agencies and NGOs who have a track record of delivering in challenging circumstances and who are continuing to ensure vital aid reaches those who need it most.Ministers and officials have met frequently with humanitarian NGOs and representatives of vulnerable groups. They are in regular touch with our partners to discuss the situation on the ground and address any obstacles to aid getting through. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia, met Deborah Lyons, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan before her recent visit to Kabul. We continue to monitor the humanitarian situation and humanitarian access closely.

Australia: Visits Abroad

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she has taken to offset the carbon emissions from the chartering of a private jet for her recent visit to Australia.

James Cleverly: Foreign travel is a vital part of diplomacy. It is in the national interest that the Foreign Secretary, and other Ministers travel abroad to pursue UK interests, building a network of liberty through closer economic, security and development ties and technology leaders. The work that Ministers do overseas ultimately delivers for the British people.Every flight made contributes to the UK Emissions Trading Scheme and we voluntarily pay Carbon Offset Credits for the year's flying. The A321neoLR plane used is one of the most fuel-efficient aircraft of its class.

Kenya: Politics and Government

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the political situation in Kenya ahead of August's Presidential and General Elections.

Vicky Ford: The UK commends Kenya's early preparations for their August elections. The UK and likeminded partners provide technical support to Kenya's independent institutions, including the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the security sector and judiciary. This is supporting Kenya's ability and capacity to deliver free, fair, credible, and peaceful elections.During my visit to Kenya on 17-18 January I spoke with senior government representatives about the necessity for Kenya to hold peaceful elections, for Kenya and the wider region, and offered UK assistance in support. I also met representatives of womens' organisations from across the country to hear about their concerns about the safety of women, girls and others during the election period. The UK continues to urge all parties to peacefully engage in elections.The UK's bilateral relationship with Kenya, underpinned by our Strategic Partnership, stretches across a broad range of issues: mutual prosperity, security and stability, sustainable development, climate change, and promoting the many links between our people.The UK is engaging all top level candidates and coalitions to ensure we understand their priorities and interests, as well as continuing to work with the current government. It is for the people of Kenya to decide who they elect as their leaders.

Somalia: Capital Punishment

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she had with her counterpart in Somalia on the four teenage boys sentenced to death by military courts in that country on 31 January 2022.

Vicky Ford: The UK is aware of this case and is working with our international partners. It is a longstanding policy of the UK Government to oppose the death penalty, in all circumstances, as a matter of principle. We believe that use of the death penalty undermines human dignity. There is no conclusive evidence of its deterrent value, and any miscarriage of justice leading to its imposition is irreversible and irreparable.

Afghanistan: British Nationals Abroad

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the level of risk to UK nationals in Afghanistan of following her Department's foreign travel advice by (a) registering their presence in Afghanistan with her Department online, (b) checking her Department's travel advice and (c) accessing UK consular assistance by telephone.

James Cleverly: Our ability to conduct regular and accurate risk assessments is severely impeded by the fact that HMG has no presence in Afghanistan at this time. The analysis of the information we are able to gather is challenged by the fluid security and political situation on the ground in Afghanistan. We encourage British Nationals to sign up to FCDO Travel Advice pages to receive regular updates. FCDO Travel Advice maintains that individuals should use their own judgment when taking decisions to leave or move around Afghanistan. It makes clear consular assistance can only be provided remotely and is extremely limited. British nationals in Afghanistan can access consular assistance by telephone on a 24/7 basis. FCDO diplomatic missions in neighbouring countries are able provide in-person consular assistance to British nationals. Consistent with FCDO consular policy norms, it remains an individual choice to seek consular assistance. This principle also applies to those registering their presence with the FCDO. All information held by the FCDO is handled in compliance with GDPR.

Humanitarian Aid

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that the UK has a leadership role in tackling humanitarian situations in (a) Afghanistan and (b) other countries.

James Cleverly: The UK has been at the forefront of efforts to address the situation, working with the UN Security Council, the G20, the G7 and countries in the region. The Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and other Ministers have all been working extensively with world leaders. In August, the Prime Minister announced that the UK would double its assistance for Afghanistan to £286 million this financial year, and we have now disbursed over £176 million. UK aid will support over 6.1 million people in Afghanistan and the region, providing emergency food, healthcare, shelter, water and protection.The UK will co-host a high-level pledging summit with the UN next month to support the response to the growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.In 2021, the UK brokered the first-ever G7 Famine Prevention and Humanitarian Crises Compact to tackle this challenge, securing £5 billion in humanitarian assistance and resilience strengthening, helping to address people's immediate food insecurity in the 42 countries one-step from famine. The UK has provided more than £80 million to respond to the crisis in northern Ethiopia, making us one of the largest bilateral donors to the conflict. Yemen remains one of the world's largest humanitarian crisis and aid operations. The UK will spend £87 million in aid to Yemen over the course of this financial year, with the UK contributing over £1 billion since the conflict began.

Afghanistan: Food Supply

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help support food supply in Afghanistan.

James Cleverly: On 28 January, the Foreign Secretary announced £97 million humanitarian assistance, delivering on the UK's promise to double UK aid to Afghanistan to £286 million in 2021-22. Afghanistan is now the world's most severe food security crisis and UK Aid will provide emergency food assistance for 4.47 million people. We are working closely with the World Food Programme to ensure that food insecure adults and children receive the support they need. We have now disbursed over £176 million to Afghanistan and for Afghan refugees in the region to address the most urgent humanitarian needs.The UK also played a key role in pressing for a resolution establishing a humanitarian exception under the UN Afghanistan sanctions regime. On 27 January 2022, the UK government laid legislation to implement UN Security Council Resolution 2615. This will save lives and reduce the impediments faced by humanitarian agencies.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Social Media

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many staff in her Department are managing ministerial social media accounts as either (a) their primary responsibility or (b) as part of their role.

Vicky Ford: Content creation is one part of the digital team's responsibilities, there is no individual cost per video or graphic created. The creation of these assets, as well with other communications products, is funded by the FCDO's Communications Directorate staffing budget.Content produced centrally is shared on the FCDO social media channels, including embassy and high commission social media channels overseas.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Social Media

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much her Department has spent on producing social media videos and graphics for use on ministerial social media accounts since January 2020.

Vicky Ford: Content creation is one part of the digital team's responsibilities, there is no individual cost per video or graphic created. The creation of these assets, as well with other communications products, is funded by the FCDO's Communications Directorate staffing budget.Content produced centrally is shared on the FCDO social media channels, including embassy and high commission social media channels overseas.

Ministry of Defence

Ajax Vehicles

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government shared the findings of the Ajax of the noise and vibration review with NATO.

Jeremy Quin: The Ajax Noise and Vibration Review was published in full on 15 December of last year and is an open-source document.

Ajax Vehicles

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has held discussions with NATO on contingency plans if Ajax fails to enter service by the middle of this decade.

Jeremy Quin: The UK works closely with NATO on our Capability Targets. As discussed in the recent bilateral meeting with NATO at the end of January. The Ministry of Defence remains able to meet its obligations to NATO, and will continue to update our partners on AJAX as the programme develops as part of our routine engagements

Ajax Vehicles

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether NATO has informed the Government of the consequences of delays to the Ajax programme for the UK’s obligations to the alliance.

Jeremy Quin: The UK works closely with NATO on our Capability Targets and in providing significant operational support for Alliance operations. We provided supplementary information regarding our land plans during bilateral meetings held in London in late January. During these meetings, NATO did not indicate that delays to the AJAX programme would have consequences for meeting the UK's obligations to the Alliance.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what work has been undertaken on an application to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy for that application to be categorised as (a) pending, (b) in progress, (c) processed and (d) complete.

James Heappey: Applications that have been received but are pending a decision on eligibility are regarded as 'pending'.Applications assessed as eligible and undergoing the casework processes necessary to facilitate relocation to the UK are regarded as 'in progress'.Applications that have concluded the casework process are cleared for relocation but are awaiting relocation are regarded as 'processed'.Applications where the principal applicant and any dependants have arrived in the UK and been passed into the care of the Home Office are regarded as 'complete'.As at 22 February the Afghan Relocation & Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme has received in excess of 110,000 applications. To meet this unprecedented challenge a dedicated team of caseworkers are working 7 days a week to process these applications.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether applications to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme are decided strictly in the order in which they were submitted.

James Heappey: As at 22nd February over 110,000 applications have been received to the Afghan Relocation & Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme and a dedicated team of caseworkers are working 7 days a week to process these applications. Routinely, applications are progressed in the order they have been received. In some cases, further information has to be requested from the applicant, and subject to that being received (and when) this may have implications for when decisions on the application are made. In exceptional circumstances, HMG may expedite ARAP applications. This will generally (but not exclusively) be where ARAP caseworkers become aware that there is credible evidence one or more of the following applies: there is an unusually high and imminent threat to life; the applicant requires immediate life-saving medical treatment for a medical condition unavailable in their current location; there are implications for diplomatic and international relations; or there are implications for national security.We continue to devote significant resources to this task; and, to date our efforts have resulted in the relocation to the UK of over 8,000 ARAP principals and their dependants.

US Department of Defense: Staff

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many US Department of Defense personnel there are in the UK on a temporary and permanent basis, by location and parent unit as of 21 February 2022.

James Heappey: The information required to answer the hon Member's question is not held centrally, and will take some time to collate. I will write to him when the information is available, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Estonia: Armed Forces

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, by what date his Department plans to double the number of British troops in Estonia; and what the total number of troops in Estonia will be on that date.

James Heappey: The current 'steady state' number of troops in Estonia is 900 from the Royal Tank Regiment (RTR). RTR will remain deployed when 1 Royal Welsh arrives in March. The total numbers during this period will be 1,700.

NATO: Staff

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many foreign NATO personnel there are in the UK on a temporary and permanent basis, by location, parent unit and nationality as of 21 February 2022.

James Heappey: Within the UK there are currently: Table 1 - 34 NATO personnel at NATO Joint Electronic Warfare Core Staff (JEWCS) at Yeovilton. Table 2 - 343 in Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) at Northwood. Table 3 - 28 within the Centralised Targeting Cell (CTC) based in Molesworth. Table 4 - This is in addition to the 169 at the NATO Intelligence Fusion Centre (NIFC) based in Molesworth For a more detailed breakdown, please see the attached tables. NATO Foreign Personnel in the UK (docx, 23.8KB)

Queen's Guards: Uniforms

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 8 December 2021 to Question 85327, on Queen's Guards: Uniforms, when he last met representatives of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) to discuss the (a) faux fur developed by that organisation in association with ECOPEL and (b) requirements set by his Department for the use of faux fur in ceremonial caps for the Queen’s Guard.

Jeremy Quin: The Ministry of Defence publishes in arrears details of Ministers' meetings on a quarterly basis on https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings-with-external-organisations-in-the-ministry-of-defence. The following details can be found in the returns: 1) The date the Minister attended the meeting.2) The name of the organisation or individuals who attended the meeting.3) The purpose of the meeting.

Ajax Vehicles: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, by what date has the Government told NATO that the Ajax vehicle would reach full operational capacity.

Jeremy Quin: In bilateral meetings at the end of January, NATO were informed that the date for AJAX’s full operating capability remains under review pending the resolution of technical challenges within the programme. The revised schedule out to full operating capability will be confirmed following resolution of these challenges. The UK will continue to be transparent with NATO about our capability development schedule.

AWE

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answers of 24 June 2021 to Question 19488 and 6 December 2018 to Question 198373, what his most recent estimate is of the (a) anticipated out-turn cost and (b) projected in-service date of each of the approved and planned projects in the Atomic Weapons Establishment Site Development Context Plan.

Jeremy Quin: The currently approved cost and in-service dates for AWE infrastructure projects, are as follows: Project/ProgrammeApproved CostApproved In-service DateMENSA£1996 million2024PEGASUS£634 millionMaterial Handling Store - 2025 Manufacture Capability – 2030 Project MENSA received a revised approval to its cost and in-service date in February 2022 reflecting, inter alia, the impacts of COVID-19 and amendments to the project to support the future warhead programme. All outstanding infrastructure related projects at AWE are still subject to internal departmental approval processes and approved outturn cost and in-service dates are not yet available.

Ministry of Defence: Billing

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what mitigation processes are in place for contractors who are waiting for late payment for work carried out on behalf of his Department.

Jeremy Quin: Ministry of Defence (MOD) policy is to pay valid and undisputed invoices within 30 calendar days, reflecting the legal obligations in the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 and the Public Contracts Regulations 2015. In line with the prompt payment code, the MOD is fully committed to paying all suppliers as quickly as possible and since May 2010 our aim has been to pay 80% of invoices within five working days. Our latest statistics show that, for the three quarters of 2021-22, we paid nearly 92% of our invoices within five days and 99% within 30 days. The Public Contracts Regulations also require that the obligation to pay undisputed invoices within 30 days is flowed down the supply chain and the MOD has a standard contract condition to this effect. Suppliers' adherence to contractual requirements is managed through normal contract management processes. The MOD has also implemented Cabinet Office procurement policy, published in 2018, which requires that we take account of our suppliers' performance in relation to prompt payment in our supplier selection process.More information about our payment performance is published on gov.uk at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ministry-of-defence-supplier-invoicing-and-payment-information.

Ministry of Defence: Social Media

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on producing social media videos and graphics for use on ministerial social media accounts since January 2020.

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in his Department are managing ministerial social media accounts as either (a) their primary responsibility or (b) as part of their role.

Leo Docherty: Ministers' social media accounts are primarily personal accounts, and will include political or constituency content created by Ministers themselves or their parliamentary offices and political advisers. It is often appropriate however, for content relating to Government policies, guidance and announcements to be posted from these accounts - this includes ministerial statements, content from official visits or government announcements.Where this is the case, content can be created by civil servants where this helps to inform and explain to the public about the policies overseen by a minister or highlights their work as a government Minister, rather than in any political role.In addition to the Civil Service Code, the Government Communications Service offers propriety in digital and social media guidance and is available to discuss questions relating to social media when working with ministers.

Army: Cocaine

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps were taken in response to six soldiers from 2nd Battalion the Mercian Regiment who reportedly tested positive for cocaine in May 2021 following their return from Kenya.

Leo Docherty: The Ministry of Defence has a policy of Compulsory Drug Testing (CDT) which is utilised to enforce the message that drug use is not acceptable within the Services. Drug taking is incompatible with military service and operational effectiveness.I can confirm that during May 2021, a small number of soldiers from the 2nd Battalion the Mercian Regiment failed a compulsory drugs test. Under the terms of the Data Protection Act, it would be inappropriate to release information about the outcome of the action taken, however I can confirm that in cases such as this, the Chain of Command investigates each case of a positive CDT result in accordance with policy, and Service personnel caught taking drugs can expect to be discharged.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, in which month were the applications to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme being processed as of 18 February 2022 submitted.

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his most recent estimate is for when applications to the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme as of 18 February 2022 will have been processed.

James Heappey: As of 18 February 2022, over 110,000 applications have been received; many of which are found to be incomplete or duplications. We do not record metrics for the processing times of applications, and any number of factors can affect how long it takes for an applicant to progress through each stage of the process. For example: their location, access to IT, employment history verification, security checks, or family circumstances.We continue to devote significant resources to this task; a dedicated team of caseworkers work seven days a week to process pending applications. To date, their efforts have resulted in the relocation to the UK of over 8,000 eligible applicants and dependants.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the cumulative impact on the living standards of households in receipt of universal credit of (a) not up-rating benefits in line with inflation, (b) the end to the £20 weekly uplift to universal credit and (c) the rise in living costs.

David Rutley: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits: Uprating

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the impact of not uprating benefits in line with inflation on levels of child poverty in Liverpool, Walton constituency.

David Rutley: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits: Uprating

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of not uprating benefits in line with inflation on the incomes of households in receipt of universal credit, in the context of the end to the £20 weekly uplift.

David Rutley: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits: Uprating

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made on the impact of not uprating benefits in line with inflation on levels of child poverty in Stockton North constituency.

David Rutley: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits: Uprating

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of not uprating benefits in line with inflation and the end of the uplift to universal credit on the incomes of households in receipt of universal credit.

David Rutley: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits: Uprating

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of not uprating benefits in line with inflation on levels of child poverty in Newcastle upon Tyne East constituency.

David Rutley: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits: Uprating

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of not uprating benefits in line with inflation on the incomes of households in receipt of universal credit, in the context of the end to the £20 weekly uplift.

David Rutley: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universal Credit

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has carried out research on demand for universal credit app-based services.

David Rutley: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universal Credit

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data her Department holds on the number of universal credit claimants who use online and phone-based services.

David Rutley: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Poverty: Disability

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that disabled people on legacy benefits do not fall in to poverty as the cost of living increases.

Chloe Smith: Personal Independence Payments are available to help with the extra costs of living faced by disabled people, while people may also be entitled to additional financial support through Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance. Claimants on legacy benefits who need additional financial assistance may be eligible for Universal Credit and can voluntarily apply if they believe that they will be better off. Disability benefits can provide a gateway or passport to a wide range of additional support or help. There are a range of DWP initiatives that support disabled people and people with health conditions to live independent lives and start, stay and succeed in employment. These include the Intensive Personalised Employment Support programme, Access to Work, Disability Confident and support in partnership with the health system, including Employment Advisers in NHS Improving Access to Psychological Therapy services.

Universal Credit: Cost of Living

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that universal credit claimants are able to cover all essential payments in the context of increased costs of living.

David Rutley: The government is providing £9 billion of financial support to most households, including those on Universal Credit, as the global gas price spike causes rising energy bills. The Energy Bills Rebate will provide around 28 million households support with their energy bills worth £200 which will be applied from October. Households in England, which are in council tax bands A-D, will also receive a £150 rebate on their council tax. The rebate to council tax bills will be made directly by Local Authorities from April and will not need to be repaid. In addition, we are providing support worth around £12bn this financial year and next, to help families with the cost of living, cutting the Universal Credit taper and increasing work allowances to make sure work pays, freezing fuel duties to keep costs down, and providing our existing targeted support to help households with their energy bills through the Warm Home Discount scheme, Cold Weather Payments and Winter Fuel Payments. We recognise that some people require extra support over the winter, which is why vulnerable households across the country can access a £500 million Household Support Fund to help them with essentials. Budgeting Advances are also available to those who are eligible and in receipt of Universal Credit to help finance intermittent/unforeseen expenses (for example, essential household items) or expenses related to maternity, obtaining, or retaining employment.

Universal Credit

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how her Department monitors (a) feedback and (b) complaints from universal credit claimants.

Guy Opperman: Feedback from customers, including insight we gather from complaints, is an important source of learning for DWP. This includes Universal Credit (UC), where claimant feedback is carefully considered in order to continually refine the UC service and ensure it works for all. Our design teams conduct user research with both our claimants and our staff to identify improvements to the service and to test out planned changes with customers before they are implemented. The Customer Experience Directorate plays a key role in coordinating learning within the Department, and the Department uses this data to inform decision making. More information about how we do this is available in our 2020/21 Annual Report and Accounts: HC 422 – Department for Work and Pensions – Annual Report and Accounts 2020-21 (publishing.service.gov.uk) This includes DWP’s Customer Experience Survey, which seeks customer feedback about their experience with DWP. This is a survey of customers who have had recent contact with DWP and includes UC claimants. The most recent findings from the survey are available here, and the findings from the 2020/21 survey will be published in due course. DWP claimant service and experience survey 2018 to 2019 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Universal Credit

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how her Department monitors (a) satisfaction and (b) employee retention levels among universal credit staff.

Guy Opperman: Whilst the department does not directly measure satisfaction, all DWP staff are encouraged to participate in the Annual Civil Service People Survey which does provide us with an Employee Engagement Index to show us how engaged our staff are. The engagement index is designed to show how committed staff are to the department’s goals and values, and how motivated they are in contributing to organisational success. DWP continually monitors retention in terms of levels of supply against demand across service delivery including Universal Credit staff.

Department for Work and Pensions: Social Media

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in her Department manage ministerial social media accounts as either (a) their primary responsibility or (b) as part of their role.

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much her Department has spent on producing social media videos and graphics for use on ministerial social media accounts since January 2020.

Guy Opperman: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has a Digital Communications team to create content to communicate departmental policies online via corporate channels. It is often appropriate for this content to be amplified on ministers' own social media accounts where this helps drive wider engagement from the public.Content creation is one part of the digital team’s responsibilities, there is no individual cost per video or graphic created. The creation of these assets, as well with other communications products, is funded by the DWP’s Strategic Communications staffing budget.

Statutory Sick Pay

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what progress her Department is making on removing the Lower Earnings Limit for Statutory Sick Pay as set out in her Department's response to the Health is Everyone's Business consultation.

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department is taking steps to review eligibility criteria for Statutory Sick Pay.

Chloe Smith: In the Government’ response to the Health is Everyone’s Business consultation it was made clear that the pandemic was not the right time to introduce changes to the Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) system or its eligibility criteria as this would have placed an immediate and direct cost on employers at a time where many were struggling. As we learn to live with Covid-19, government is continuing to take a broader look at the role of SSP and is keeping the system under review. Many of those earning below the Lower Earnings Limit of £120 per week, who are not eligible for SSP, are already in receipt of benefits. Those who are not already in receipt of benefits may be able to claim Universal Credit and new style Employment and Support Allowance.

Universal Credit: Students

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason students’ funding received from student finance funded maintenance loans is deducted from their overall universal credit payments.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason Student Finance Maintenance Loans are counted as income for universal credit calculations.

David Rutley: Student loans and grants have a £110 disregard in each Universal Credit monthly assessment period. After this threshold is met, they are treated as income and Universal Credit is deducted accordingly. Special Support Elements or Grants are fully disregarded, as these specifically cover the cost of an educational course.Financial support for students primarily comes from grants and the student loans system, which is specifically designed for their needs, unlike the wider benefits system. It is right that Universal Credit does not duplicate support already being given. In this respect, Universal Credit mirrors other benefits such as Employment and Support Allowance, Housing Benefit, and new-style Jobseekers Allowance.

Social Security Benefits: Mental Illness and Special Educational Needs

Mick Whitley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of requiring jobseekers to accept any job within one month of making a claim for support on people with special educational needs and mental ill-health.

Mims Davies: The Way to Work campaign is a move to help job-ready claimants into work more quickly, utilising strong relationships with employers to help fill the hundreds of thousands of vacancies in the economy. As has previously been the case, Work Coaches have discretion to allow those claimants who have previously carried out work of a particular nature, or at a particular level of remuneration to search for roles within that same area of work. The period within which they can limit their search in this way is known as the ‘permitted period’. The changes we have made will mean that claimants now have a reduced “permitted period” in which to search for a job in their preferred sector, from 3 months to a maximum of 4 weeks. Claimants will be expected to broaden their job search activity to include any suitable job that they are capable of that can support them whilst they consider their longer-term career options. We have easements in place to protect people with health conditions and disabilities from being asked to consider work in sectors which do not fit their capabilities. This means that the hours of the job a claimant is expected to look for, and the location and type of job should be appropriate and reflect the claimant’s capabilities and impacts of any mental health condition. Claimants who are supplying a fit note in advance of their work capability assessment are not required to start work.The expectations of a claimant are agreed with them and clearly set out in their Claimant Commitment at the beginning of their UC claim. This includes both mandatory and voluntary actions the claimant has agreed to undertake. Any work-related requirements are set in discussion with the claimant and will always be tailored to an individual claimant’s capability and circumstances, making them realistic and achievable. Claimants with health-related support requirements will undertake a Work Capability Assessment and, where specific needs are identified, will receive support through the Work and Health Programme.

Travel: Concessions

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to ensure eligible passengers are aware of the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card.

Mims Davies: The rail industry, together with the Department for Work and Pensions, provides the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card that entitles card holders to a 50% discount on selected rail tickets. Certain bus operators also accept the card for discounts and Transport for London accept the card when attached to an Oyster Card. Information about the scheme is included on the National Rail website and the websites of participating rail operators as well as Gov.uk. Work Coaches will issue a fact sheet and application form to all claimants who wish to apply for scheme and meet the eligibility criteria.

Universal Credit: Habitual Residence Test

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help ensure that those who are unable to access universal credit due to failing the habitual residence test are appropriately signposted to alternative forms of (a) financial and (b) crisis support and advice.

David Rutley: Customers who fail to satisfy the Habitual Residence Test are advised of appeal rights within the decision notification letter they receive. The letter also reminds them of their right to submit a Mandatory Reconsideration, which will be reviewed by another Decision Maker in our Disputes Resolution Team. Customers who contact the Department or Jobcentres for further assistance are directed to local support services available. If they are deemed to be extremely vulnerable, a referral is made to our local Advanced Customer Service Senior Leaders team, who have greater local knowledge of support available for customers in need. All complex decisions for the Habitual Residence Test will be escalated to specialist Decision Makers, who go through specific training on making Habitual Residence Test decisions. These decisions are subject to rigorous quality standards.

Housing Benefit: Private Rented Housing

Ms Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in the private rented sector are in receipt of housing benefit in payment; how many of those households have rents which exceed the local housing allowance (LHA); what the median average gap is between the rent and the LHA for those households where rent exceeds the LHA , for each local authority area in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales, for the most recent period for which data is available.

David Rutley: The information requested is in the attachment.In April 2020 we increased Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local rents, costing nearly £1 billion and providing 1.5 million claimants with around £600 more housing support in 2020/21 than they would otherwise have received. Local Housing Allowance rates have been maintained at their increased levels in 2021/22 and will remain at those levels for 2022/23.122579 attachment (xlsx, 35.1KB)

Natural Gas: Safety

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the regulatory framework for gas safety; and what estimate she has made of the (a) number of prosecutions made in connection with installations that fail to meet the gas safe engineer rules in each of the last three years and (b) annual cost to consumers of unsafe works.

Chloe Smith: In 2018 following discussions with stakeholders the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) amended the current regulations, Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (GSIUR). HSE continues to work across UK Government and industry to ensure the regulations are effective to maintain the safety of gas users not just today but in the development of future fuels that form part of the wider Net Zero Strategy. HSE is currently conducting a Post Implementation Review of the specific amendments they made to the regulations in 2018 and will be reporting their conclusions in 2023. Since the introduction of GSIUR, the number of reported gas-related fatalities has steadily declined from 48 in 1998/99 to 3 in 2020/21. While any number of fatalities is clearly unwanted, this substantive decline is evidence that these regulations have improved the safety of the gas landscape in GB and that they remain effective. HSE believes in firm but fair enforcement and the number of breaches prosecuted under GSIUR are outlined below: YearNo. breaches prosecuted under GSIUR2018/19462019/20742020/2133   The annual cost to consumers of unsafe work is not reported to or held by Government.

Universal Credit: Appeals

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the waiting times faced by people awaiting the outcome of earning disputes in relation to universal credit as of 21 February 2022.

Mims Davies: The Department has been working closely with HMRC since Universal Credit went live in 2013 to support and inform employers who report earnings to emphasise the importance of timely reporting via the Real Time Information (RTI) system.The waiting time for an earnings dispute can depend on the complexity of the query. DWP will triage all disputes and are able to resolve non-complex queries internally, where the query is more complex DWP will seek support of HMRC to resolve, we aim to resolve disputes, both complex and non-complex, within 7 working days.There are variations in regional demand, and some areas are currently experiencing waiting times in excess of 7 working days, which we are working to bring back in line. HMRC have been embarking on employer education to reduce future occurrences of error. Large employers have dedicated customer compliance leads that work with employers to mitigate the risk of high volumes of citizens being impacted at any one time. HMRC have guidance to reiterate to employers the importance of reporting accurate dates and the impact on payment cycles; the Financial Secretary to the Treasury is also working closely with HMRC and employers to encourage accurate reporting dates.

Universal Credit: Wales

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what is the annual cost to the public purse of the housing costs element of Universal Credit in Wales, by (a) tenure and (b) a claimant's bedroom entitlement.

David Rutley: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of changing personal independence payment (PIP) criteria so that people with worsening health conditions who did not receive the mobility component of PIP prior to reaching retirement age can claim that component (a) on and (b) after reaching retirement age in the event that their health condition worsens.

Chloe Smith: The aim of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is to focus additional help with the extra costs of disability on people who become severely disabled earlier in life and who, as a consequence, face limited opportunities to work, earn and save compared with other people. Once PIP has been awarded, and subject to the conditions of entitlement continuing to be met, it can continue in payment after reaching State Pension age (SPa). It is normal for social security schemes to contain different provisions for people at different stages of their lives, which reflect varying priorities and circumstances. For PIP, claimants who are in receipt of the benefit when they reach SPa can continue to receive it after that point but cannot establish a new entitlement to the mobility component or receive a higher award of the mobility component if they were receiving the standard rate. This was also the case for Disability Living Allowance which PIP replaces. These rules recognise that developing mobility needs is a common and foreseeable feature of the ageing process and puts PIP recipients in the same position as someone over State Pension age who claims Attendance Allowance which does not have a mobility component. We have no plans to review these rules.

Industrial Health and Safety: Pregnancy

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for its policies of the recommendations of the December 2021 Maternity Action report, Unsafe and Unsupported, on workplace health and safety for pregnant women during the covid-19 outbreak.

Chloe Smith: No assessment has been made. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provides guidance to employers on managing risk and how to complete a risk assessment for their business. This guidance includes examples of common risks faced by new and expectant mothers. It also explains what to do if significant risks cannot be controlled. HSE is working with unions and industry groups to ensure this guidance is up to date.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Air Pollution: Plymouth

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the levels of toxic air pollutants in Plymouth.

Jo Churchill: An annual assessment based on both monitoring and supplementary modelling is undertaken annually. Plymouth is covered by the South West zone and the latest assessment can be found here:https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library/annualreport/viewonline?year=2020_issue_1#report_pdf Defra's national network, the Automatic Urban and Rural Network (AURN) provides measurements of air pollutant concentrations throughout the UK for a range of pollutants, which includes 3 monitoring sites in Plymouth. These sites form part of a network of 171 sites across the UK, used to monitor compliance with the Air Quality Standards Regulations (2010). An interactive map showing the location of monitoring sites forming part of the AURN in Plymouth can be found at the following URL: https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/interactive-map The AURN network provides high resolution hourly information, communicated rapidly to the public, using a wide range of electronic, media and web platforms. Data from monitoring sites in Plymouth is accessible through the following URL: https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/data/ Defra's Pollution Climate Mapping model estimates concentrations of air pollutants at 1km2 grid squares across the UK. An interactive map to display these concentrations can be found through the following URL:https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/data/gis-mapping/ Plymouth City Council also carries out air quality monitoring as part of the Local Air Quality Management process and provides Defra with annual reports on the status of air quality within its Local Authority boundary. These reports detail strategies employed to improve air quality and any progress that has been made. Plymouth has a single city-wide Air Quality Management Area, which is due to levels of nitrogen dioxide exceeding national objectives. Summary statistics for all its Air Quality measurements can be found in its annual status reports, available through the following URL: https://www.plymouth.gov.uk/environmentandpollution/airquality

Propiconazole

Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of products in UK supermarkets that contain any amount of propiconazole.

Victoria Prentis: Our pesticides regulations set strict controls on the amounts of pesticide residues that are permitted in food. We have an ongoing monitoring programme to provide assurance that food – including food imported from overseas – complies with the statutory maximum residue levels (MRLs) allowed. The results of this monitoring are published on the GOV.uk website. In the most recent data (2020 and the first half of 2021), a total of 2,747 samples of food were collected and analysed for the presence of propiconazole. Of these, 38 samples were found to contain residues of this chemical, none of which were above the permitted MRLs set by law. These results indicate that propiconazole is not widely detected in food available to UK shoppers, and when it is detected, has been within the permitted limits. HSE have proposed to lower the MRL for propiconazole to the default minimum level and details are expected to be announced shortly. This would mean food containing residues of this pesticide would no longer be able to be placed on the market in Great Britain.

Members: Correspondence

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he will respond to the correspondence of 24 January from the hon. Member for Stockport.

Jo Churchill: I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Gentleman, his reply will be with him shortly. As we have had to go to a second government department for a full answer it has taken a little longer.

Horticulture: Peat

Sir Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support available to the ornamental horticulture and landscaping industry in the transition to peat-free plant exports.

Rebecca Pow: Alongside publishing our consultation on ending the sale of peat and peat containing products in horticulture in England and Wales, we assessed the economic impact of each of the proposed measures. This assessment can be found at: Consultation Impact Assessment Ending the Retail Sale of Peat in Horticulture in England and Wales.pdf (defra.gov.uk)

Land Drainage and Sewage: Property Development

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring infrastructure investment to be secured through Grampian conditions for property development in respect to drainage and sewerage prior to commencement.

Rebecca Pow: Local Planning Authorities are responsible for attaching conditions to planning applications so it would be for them to determine whether a Grampian condition would be appropriate on a case by case basis.

Home Office

Drugs: Driving Under Influence

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward proposals equivalent to those under the Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020 to increase the period where an individual can be charged for drug driving offences up to the point of receipt of lab results of the evidential sample.

Kit Malthouse: We have given consideration to this approach but have no plans to make such a change, especially given that we have been advised by the National Police Chief’s Council that toxicology supply has now significantly increased, and all backlogs have been cleared.

Asylum: Children

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied asylum-seeking children were accommodated by her Department without a local authority assuming responsibility for them (a) from 14 July 2021 to 22 November 2021 and (b) from 23 November 2021 to present.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Children

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unaccompanied asylum-seeking children staring to be looked after by local authorities between 14 July and 22 November 2021 were (a) accommodated in hotels upon or after arriving in the UK, (b) were aged (i) 10 and under and (ii) between 11 and 18 on arrival, (c) assessed by a registered medical practitioner upon arrival in the UK and (e) in receipt of legal advice whilst being housed in a hotel.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Visas: Domestic Service

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress her Department has made on reviewing the Overseas Domestic Worker visa; and what steps she plans to take to ensure that relevant civil society actors can participate in that review.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Applications

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individual asylum claims her Department has (a) processed and (b) approved in each month of the last five years.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many individual asylum claims her Department received in each month of the last five years.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Asylum: Applications

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average processing time was for an individual's asylum claim in January (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021 and (d) 2022.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of (a) the number of Afghan nationals resettled under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme who have higher education qualifications and (b) the proportion of that number who acquired those qualifications in the UK.

Victoria Atkins: The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) commenced on 6th January. The ACRS will provide up to 20,000 women, children and others at risk with a safe and legal route to resettle in the UK.Afghans who are eligible under ACRS or ARAP are working with job centre work coaches to assess their readiness for the jobs market, including their skills and qualifications.

Cybercrime

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the value of online fraud committed in the UK by perpetrators based in (a) the EU, (b) the United States, (c) member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, (d) Israel, (e) India, (f) Australia and New Zealand, (g) Canada, (h) Mexico, (i) Singapore and (j) other member states of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership besides those already mentioned, in 2021.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the (a) value of online fraud committed in the UK by perpetrators based overseas and (b) proportion of the total amount of online fraud committed in the UK that was committed by perpetrators based overseas, in 2021.

Damian Hinds: Fraud emanating from countries abroad affecting UK citizens is a key concern for this government and we are committed to combatting it. The Home Secretary regularly engages with her international counterparts to build collaboration against this and other crime types. International collaboration on fraud includes the work of the City of London Police, which is the national lead force for fraud, partnering with law enforcement and industry to combat fraud from overseas jurisdictions. UK authorities continue to work with their international counterparts on a case-by-case basis to target criminals responsible for defrauding members of the public and businesses.We do not currently hold data on online fraud emanating from overseas. This is why we continue to make a concerted effort to strengthen our evidence base and improve information sharing both as set out in the Economic Crime Plan and the 2021 Statement of Progress (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/economic-crime-plan-2019-to-2022).Alongside this we are developing a new approach to disrupt, deter and drive down the number of fraud incidents, including working with international partners. This approach is now being developed and will commit key partners in the public sector and industry to do more to tackle fraud, focus on key areas to restrict criminals’ opportunities to commit fraud and increase public awareness.

Home Office: Social Media

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff in her Department are managing ministerial social media accounts as either (a) their primary responsibility or (b) as part of their role.

Rachel Maclean: We are now in a digital age, where social media and digital communications are an essential part of government, helping inform the public directly about matters which may affect their lives or interests.In addition to the Civil Service Code, the Government Communications Service offers propriety in digital and social media guidance and is available to discuss questions relating to social media when working with ministers.The Home Office employs an in-house social media team to use digital channels and create content to communicate departmental policies online. It is often appropriate for content relating to Government policies, guidance and announcements, created by civil servants, to be amplified or posted on other channels including ministers' own social media accounts where this helps drive wider engagement from the public.

Spiking: Victim Support Schemes

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to incorporate (a) spiking offences and (b) integrated services for victims of those offences in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

Rachel Maclean: Spiking is an abhorrent crime that the Government takes very seriously. The response must be robust and wide-ranging.The Government has tabled an amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill that would require the Secretary of State to prepare a report on the nature and prevalence of spiking and the steps the Government is taking to address it. The report must be published and laid before Parliament within 12 months of the passing of the Act.The Home Office is separately considering whether a specific offence of spiking is needed to target this behaviour directly.

Police: Misconduct

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill on levels of (a) criminal activity and (b) gross misconduct in police forces.

Kit Malthouse: The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill delivers on our promise to the British people to keep them safe. It backs the police, in recognition of the unique and enormous sacrifices they make and gives them the powers they need to fight crime and prevent disorder In February 2020, the Government legislated to introduce a raft of reforms to strengthen the police disciplinary system. This made the system more accountable, more transparent and more timely and included greater powers for the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) The Home Office has widened the data it collects and publishes on police misconduct. The first tranche of this data is due to be published in the Spring.

Home Office: Coronavirus

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to mandate individual risk assessments for all employees in her Department before they return to the workplace following the easing of covid-19 restrictions; and how many individual risk assessments for people returning to work have been conducted by her Department as of 21 February 2022.

Rachel Maclean: Managers of Home Office employees are already strongly encouraged to use the Department’s Covid-19 Individual Risk Indicator (CIRI) tool to have a structured conversation with their team members before they return to their workplace.The CIRI tool enables a personalised discussion of the employee’s individual needs, concerns and risk factors to enable practical steps to be taken to facilitate their return to the workplace.

Members: Correspondence

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to reply to the enquiry from the hon. Member for Warley of 22 October 2021 regarding Mr Husseini.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office responded to the correspondence on 11 February 2022.

Mentally Disordered Offenders: Police Custody

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the potential effect of improved healthcare support or earlier interventions for people with mental health conditions on demand on police resources.

Kit Malthouse: Improved healthcare support together with early intervention for people with mental health conditions is hugely important. Many police forces have local joint initiatives with health partners to respond to people with mental health issues. Liaison and Diversion services operate at police stations to identify and assess people with vulnerabilities and refer them into appropriate services to get help and support and, where appropriate, away from the criminal justice system altogether.Street triage initiatives have been shown to make an immediate impact on the lives of people when they are particularly vulnerable. They support appropriate decision making in individual cases, assist with access to crisis care, and provide more timely support to health and social care services.The NHS Long Term Plan will help improve delivery of prevention and intervention by investing an additional £2.3 billion by 2023/24. This should help enable further service expansion and faster access to community and crisis mental health services for both adults and children and young people.

Mentally Disordered Offenders: Police Custody

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an estimate of the amount of police time that is spent dealing with cases that involve taking someone to a mental health setting where other agencies may be better placed to do that.

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an estimate of the amount of police time that is spent dealing with cases involving someone with a mental health condition where other agencies may be better placed to assist that person.

Kit Malthouse: Information on the average amount of police time spent dealing with cases involving mental health conditions is an operational matter for individual police forces and is not held centrally by the Home Office.The best place for people suffering a mental health crisis is a healthcare setting, because the police cannot provide the specialist care they need. The Home Office continues to work closely with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and healthcare partners to address particular pressure points in demand on police relating to non-crime mental health related incidents.

Windrush Lessons Learned Review

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is considering Group 2 refugees as part of its Public Funds Review as set out in the Government’s response to Recommendation 7 of the Windrush lessons learned review.

Tom Pursglove: The Nationality and Borders Bill, including Clause 11 relating to the differentiation policy of refugees, is not yet law. Consideration of Group 2 refugees does not, therefore, fall within the scope of the Home Office’s review of the compliant environment in response to recommendation 7 of the Windrush Lessons Learned Review.Changes to the policies being delivered through the Nationality and Borders Bill will be subject to appropriate impact assessments. We have already published an Equality Impact Assessment on 16 September 2021, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nationality-and-borders-bill-equality-impact-assessment. We will also be undertaking New Burdens Assessments prior to the policy being implemented, as part of the work to operationalise the Nationality and Borders Bill and the wider New Plan for Immigration.More information will be made available when we have concluded the remainder of the policy development.

Drugs: Impact Assessments

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government’s drug strategy, From harm to hope: A 10-year drugs plan to cut crime and save lives, published December 2021, was subject to an equality impact assessment.

Kit Malthouse: The UK Government’s drugs strategy, From harm to hope: A 10-year drugs plan to cut crime and save lives, sets out commitments across six departments: the Department of Health and Social Care, Home Office, Ministry of Justice, Department of Work and Pensions, Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the Department for Education. These departments are and will continue to be responsible for considering the Public Sector Equality Duty for each of their policies and developing and maintaining full equality impact assessments for them.As the cross-government unit responsible for driving, coordinating and overseeing delivery of the strategy, the Joint Combating Drugs Unit prepared an overarching statement of the collective impact of the strategy on groups with protected characteristics.

Drugs: Driving Under Influence

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the report, Drug driving: the tip of the iceberg, published by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety, what assessment she has made of the extent of variation in enforcement of drug driving laws across different police forces in England and Wales.

Kit Malthouse: Enforcement of drug driving legislation and how available resources are deployed is an operational matter for individual Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners to determine in conjunction with local crime and policing plans, taking into account the specific local problems and demands with which they are faced.The Government will continue to support the police to ensure that they have the tools needed to enforce road traffic legislation.

Crime

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of crime in (a) Coventry North East constituency, (b) Coventry, (c) the West Midlands and (d) England in each of the last five years.

Kit Malthouse: The ONS report on trends in crime and a description of national trends can be found in their latest release, containing data up to September 2021, here.Crime in England and Wales - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)Data is published at police force level including ‘West Midlands Police’ and can be found hereCrime in England and Wales: Police Force Area data tables - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)Data is also published at Community Safety Partnership level including ‘Coventry’ and can be found hereRecorded crime data by Community Safety Partnership area - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)However, data at Parliamentary Constituency level is not routinely published by ONS.

Police and Crime Commissioners: Elections

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to paragraph 41 of the Explanatory Notes for the Elections Bill as brought from the House of Commons on 18 January 2022, if she will publish the underlying polling and focus group data cited relating to public attitudes on changing the voting system for Police and Crime Commissioner elections.

Kit Malthouse: As Part of the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Review evidence in relation to the voting mechanism for PCCs was gathered to inform the recommendations announced by the Home Secretary in March 2021.This analysis was produced as internal analysis for the purposes of policy development. Given the Review was an internal Review, reporting directly to the Home Secretary, there are no plans to publish the evidence gathered.

Firearms: Licensing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether firearm licence holders are permitted to keep their firearm licence in the event of a pending decision by the CPS to prosecute that licence holder.

Kit Malthouse: Responsibility for applying and enforcing firearms law is the responsibility of the police.Firearm certificate holders are subject to continuous review and the Firearms Act 1968 gives the police the power to remove a person’s firearms and to revoke a firearm or shotgun certificate if they are not satisfied that the holder can be permitted to possess firearms without danger to the public safety or to the peace.Whether a certificate holder is permitted to retain their firearms and certificate will depend upon the nature of any offence committed and any sentence imposed by the courts. Section 21 of the Firearms Act 1968 sets out the restrictions on the possession of firearms by persons convicted of crimes in England, Wales and Scotland.

Immigration: Applications

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many in-country (a) leave to remain and (b) indefinite leave to remain applications remain outstanding beyond their six month service standard as of 21 February 2022.

Kevin Foster: Our aim is to process all applications for leave to remain and indefinite leave to remain within our service level agreement (SLA). Each individual case is considered on its own merit, which means some cases will inevitably take longer than others to conclude. Cases may take longer dependent on the circumstances of the case, for example, if the applicant is facing an impending prosecution or has a criminal record. If an application is deemed complex and expected to take longer than the published SLA, UKVI will write to the customer within the SLA and explain what will happen next.Not all application routes have a six month SLA and certain routes do not have an SLA, this is due to the complexities of the applications submitted to us.Information on our immigration routes with service standards and whether they have been processed against these standards is available as part of our transparency data, at: Migration transparency data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Rohingya: Myanmar

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the security risk to Tun Khin, President of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation (BROUK), and British citizen and Rohingya activist, by the presence of the Myanmar military attaché in the UK in the context of a leaked memo from that military on 14 January 2022 naming BROUK in connection with a universal jurisdiction case brought by BROUK against that military in Argentina.

Damian Hinds: As a matter or long-standing policy, the Government does not comment on the detail of security or intelligence matters.The Government takes potential risks to communities in the UK, including those from Myanmar, very seriously. I would encourage anyone who feels that they are under threat to contact the police in the first instance.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Social Media

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many staff in his Department are managing ministerial social media accounts as either (a) their primary responsibility or (b) as part of their role.

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much his Department has spent on producing social media videos and graphics for use on ministerial social media accounts since January 2020.

Eddie Hughes: We are now in a digital age, where social media and digital communications are an essential part of government, helping inform the public directly about matters which may affect their lives or interests.In addition to the Civil Service Code, the Government Communications Service offers propriety in digital and social media guidance and is available to discuss questions relating to social media when working with ministers.The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities employs an in-house social media team to use digital channels and create content to communicate departmental policies online. It is often appropriate for content relating to Government policies, guidance and announcements, created by civil servants, to be amplified or posted on other channels including ministers' own social media accounts where this helps drive wider engagement from the public.

Energy Performance Certificates: Wales

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what representations he has received from the Welsh Government on reforming Energy Performance Certificates.

Eddie Hughes: We have not received representations from the Welsh Government on reforming Energy Performance Certificates at this time, although officials in my Department have engaged with officials from the Wales government in terms of identifying how we might make useful future amendments to the Regulations.

Housing: Solar Power

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring homebuilders to install solar panels on all newly built homes.

Eddie Hughes: Solar panels are a key part of our strategy to get to net zero via a decarbonised electricity grid. We must therefore take the opportunity, where appropriate, to install them.However, many homes may not be suitable for solar panels - perhaps because of shading, the orientation of the building, the shape/size of the roof or visual amenity.Our approach to drive decarbonisation in buildings will see a tightening of energy efficiency standards with an uplift to Part L (conservation of fuel and power) of the Building Regulations recently introduced in December 2021. The uplift comes into force in June 2022 and will deliver a 30% reduction in CO2 emissions for new homes compared to those built to the previous standards. It will pave the way for the Future Homes Standard in 2025, ensuring that new homes produce at least 75% lower CO2 emissions.Our approach remains technology-neutral and allows developers to retain the flexibility they need to use the materials and technologies that suit the circumstances of a site and their business to achieve these targets. This includes the use of solar panels where appropriate. The development of the 2021 energy efficiency targets included consideration of solar panels and thus many new buildings, where appropriate, will use this technology to meet the new standard.

Aerials

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what representations he has received on ensuring that telecoms operators and providers carry out adequate consultation with elected members and communities prior to the installation of telecommunications masts.

Stuart Andrew: The Government consulted last year on changes to nationally set permitted development rights. We will be responding to the consultation shortly, including on matters where representations were received on consultation with elected members and local communities, in relation to telecommunications infrastructure.Mobile Network Operators have also committed to following the Code of Best Practice on Mobile Network Development in England, which sets out best practice on community engagement, when deploying equipment. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has developed a new Code of Practice which will provide updated guidance on consultation with local communities.

Flood Control: Property Development

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits giving flood risk authorities a statutory right of veto on a development until such time as a suitable technical solution to that flood risk is advanced.

Stuart Andrew: Planning law requires that applications for planning permission be determined in accordance with the local development plan, subject to other material considerations. These considerations include advice received from statutory consultees, as well as the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The local planning authority must take into account and weigh up all the material planning considerations in reaching its decision.The NPPF is clear that inappropriate development in areas at risk of flooding should be avoided. Where development is necessary, it should be made safe for its lifetime without increasing flood risk elsewhere.As part of the planning determination process, we expect local planning authorities to take flood risk advice from the Environment Agency and lead local flood authority seriously. Statutory consultees do not have a veto on new development. It is for the local planning authority, which is democratically accountable to the local electorate, to take planning decisions on development in its area. As an added safeguard, where a local planning authority is minded to approve a planning application for major development in a flood risk area against an outstanding Environment Agency objection on flood risk grounds, that application must first be referred to the Secretary of State to consider whether it should be called-in.Furthermore, as part of our wider ambitions for an improved planning system we intend to review the National Planning Policy Framework to ensure that it contributes to climate change mitigation and adaption as fully as possible.

Scotland Office

Warm Home Discount Scheme: Scotland

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether the UK Government's Warm Homes Discount will continue to apply in full to individuals and organisations in Scotland after 31 March 2022.

Mr Alister Jack: The Government has committed to extending the Warm Home Discount to at least 2025-2026 and expanding the scheme spending envelope from the current £350 million to £475 million (in 2020 prices) per year. This will enable us to provide around 3 million rebates each winter across Great Britain, which is an increase of a third compared to the current scheme. We have consulted on apportioning a fair amount of the overall £475 million annual funding to Scotland for a Warm Home Discount scheme in Scotland from the 2022-2023 scheme year. We are agreeing a position with the Scottish Government on the future scheme and any scheme in Scotland would be consulted on. Should the UK Government implement a scheme for Scotland, our intention would be to have consulted and have Regulations in place in advance of the summer Parliamentary recess. The current scheme is continuing to operate across Great Britain for the year 2021-2022.

Cabinet Office

Question

Jack Lopresti: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to protect public services from the risk of hostile cyber threats.

Michael Ellis: Our National Cyber Strategy sets out how we will ensure that the UK remains a leading democratic cyber power, one that is more resilient to and is able to counter cyber threats.Our Government Cyber Security Strategy (GCSS) will ensure that all government organisations across the whole public sector are resilient to cyber attack.Both of these strategies are supported by £2.6 billion of taxpayer’s money over the next three years.

Prime Minister: Staff

Angela Rayner: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what work is undertaken by the Prime Minister's appointments unit; how many staff are within the unit; and whether they are officials or special advisers.

Michael Ellis: The No 10 appointments unit has existed across successive administrations and is staffed by four civil servants. It supports the Prime Minister in all appointments and dignities (including, but not limited to, regulated public appointments) within the constitutional remit of Her Majesty’s Government.

Cabinet Office: Coronavirus

Chris Stephens: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to mandate individual risk assessments for all employees in his Department before they return to the workplace following the easing of covid-19 restrictions; and how many individual risk assessments for people returning to work in those circumstances have been conducted by the Department as of 21 February 2022.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Throughout the pandemic, the Cabinet Office has followed Government guidance on ensuring safety in the workplace, particularly the Working Safely during Coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance - recognising the different approaches taken by the devolved administrations. This includes undertaking appropriate premises risk assessments and implementing mitigation measures. In addition to workplace risk assessments, we encourage managers to complete individual risk assessments with staff who come into the workplace. Any data acquired through use of the CIRI is confidential and will only be used to ensure any risks are identified and actions taken to respond to any issues relating to a return to the workplace. We do not store this information centrally.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Angela Rayner: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, which Minister has responsibility for the small boats taskforce.

Michael Ellis: A full list of ministerial responsibilities will be published in due course.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Information Warfare

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans his Department has to establish an information warfare unit; and if he will publish the (a) official title and (b) budget of such unit.

Michael Ellis: The new Government Information Cell (GIC) draws together expertise from across government including but not limited to FCDO, DCMS, MoD and CO experts in assessment and analysis and counter-disinformation. The GIC was set up to identify and counter Russian disinformation targeted at UK and international audiences. The staff deployed into the Cell continue to be paid for by their home departments - there are no additional staffing costs. The running and programme costs are being established but will be within existing budgets, including from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund.

Government Departments: Social Media

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what guidance his Department has issued on the management of ministerial social media accounts.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many civil servants in his Department are managing ministerial social media accounts as either (a) their primary responsibility or (b) as part of their role.

Rachel Hopkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department has spent on producing social media videos and graphics for use on Ministerial social media accounts since January 2020.

Nigel Adams: We are now in a digital age, where social media and digital communications are an essential part of government, helping inform the public directly about matters which may affect their lives or interests. In addition to the Civil Service Code, the Government Communications Service offers propriety in digital and social media guidance and is available to discuss questions relating to social media when working with ministers. The Cabinet Office employs an in-house social media team to use digital channels and create content to communicate departmental policies online. It is often appropriate for content relating to Government policies, guidance and announcements, created by civil servants, to be amplified or posted on other channels including ministers' own social media accounts where this helps drive wider engagement from the public. Content creation is one part of the digital team’s responsibilities, there is no individual cost per video or graphic created. The creation of these assets, as well with other communications products, is funded by the Cabinet Office Communications Directorate staffing budget.

Government Procurement Card: Equipment

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Government Procurement Card data for November 2020, last updated on 25th November 2021, what items of office equipment were purchased from (a) Alexanders Appliances Direct Ltd for £645.60 on 12th November 2020, and (b) Currys Online for £1,258 on 26th November 2020.

Michael Ellis: Transaction (a) relates to the replacement of official catering equipment and was purchased on the 07/07/2020. The equipment was procured to replace a previous equipment that was over 10 years old and which originally had been purchased under the last Labour Government. It had reached the end of its working life. Transaction (b) relates to a high-specification shredder and was purchased on the 30/09/2020. The shredder was procured for a high-security business unit whose work necessitates specific secure shredding equipment. Again, this was a replacement for a previous device. Transactions purchased via a Government Procurement Card must be reconciled and approved by a line manager before being recorded fully on the Department’s General Ledger. This means some transactions can appear after the purchase date.

GREAT

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking through the GREAT campaign to promote the UK overseas.

Michael Ellis: The GREAT campaign promotes the best of the UK worldwide and has been used in over 145 countries to drive employment, growth and influence. GREAT delivers via five primary campaigns:Overall UK Perceptions, led by the Cabinet Office and delivered with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (GREAT Challenge Fund). This campaign uses our soft power assets to grow UK influence and promote UK values by positioning the UK as a place of opportunity. It promotes UK culture, the UK’s science and sustainability credentials, creativity and design, LGBTQ+ rights and much more. It also supports events including the Queen’s Jubilee, the Commonwealth Games and Unboxed. Tourism, delivered by VisitBritain. This campaign attracts international visitors to the UK, helping to support 3.2 million jobs and grow the UK’s position as one of the most visited countries on earth. Trade and Investment, delivered by the Department for International Trade. This campaign drives investment and export promotion. It also promotes UK food and drink such as Welsh lamb, Scotch whisky, Northern Irish gin, and Scottish salmon through the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Study, delivered by the British Council. The Study UK campaign promotes UK universities to the world and encourages international students to study in the UK. Live/work, this campaign attracts the best and brightest in science, research and technology to live and work in the UK. It supports the UK government's ambition to secure the UK’s status as a science and tech superpower by 2030 including the Government commitment to increase R&D expenditure to 2.4% of GDP by 2027.

Cybersecurity

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to strengthen the UK’s cyber resilience.

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to protect public services from the risk of hostile cyber threats.

Michael Ellis: Our new National Cyber Strategy, launched in December 2021(by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, HCWS484), sets out how we will ensure that the UK continues to be a leading, responsible and democratic cyber power, able to protect and promote our interests in the rapidly evolving online world. This includes our approach to making the UK more resilient to cyber attacks and countering cyber threats. The strategy is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-cyber-strategy-2022/national-cyber-security-strategy-2022 A core component of our National Cyber Strategy is to further strengthen the cyber security of government and public services. The Government Cyber Security Strategy, launched in January 2022, will ensure that core government functions are resilient to cyber attack. This will be supported by an enhanced assurance regime to raise standards and a new Government Cyber Coordination Centre enabling departments to defend as one.The Government Cyber Security Strategy is available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1049825/government-cyber-security-strategy.pdfThe delivery of both the National and Government strategies is supported by £2.6 billion of investment over three years.

Government Departments: Procurement

Dr Kieran Mullan: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps the Government is taking to increase opportunities for small businesses to bid for Government contracts.

Michael Ellis: Small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of the UK economy. That is why we are making sure Government spending supports this vital sector, both as part of our economic recovery from COVID-19 and as part of our levelling up agenda. We are increasing opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in a variety of ways - from transparently publishing contract pipelines, to simplifying bidding processes.These measures are working. The latest procurement figures for 2019/20 show that £15.5bn was paid to small and medium sized businesses to help deliver vital public services. This figure is an increase of £1.3bn on the previous year and the highest since records began in 2013.

Weather: Warnings

Grahame Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will create a red weather alert protocol to co-ordinate resources and place on standby military aid to the civilian powers in advance of extreme weather events.

Michael Ellis: The UK has access to some of the most advanced weather forecasting systems in the world. An established three-tier weather warning system is used by the Met Office. Government departments will often use the warning system to determine and activate a proportionate crisis management response posture, including consideration of military support.

Infected Blood Compensation Framework Study

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department plans to publish Sir Robert Francis' Infected Blood compensation framework study on the same day that it receives it.

Jessica Morden: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether Sir Robert Francis QC's report on a contaminated blood scandal compensation framework will be made available to the public on 14 March 2022.

Richard Fuller: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the infected blood compensation framework report by Sir Robert Francis QC by 14 March 2022 or as soon as his Department receives it, whichever is earlier.

Dan Carden: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish Sir Robert Francis' study into options for a framework for compensation for people infected and affected by infected blood upon his Department receiving it.

Anthony Mangnall: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will commit to publishing the report by Sir Robert Francis QC in respect of the Infected Blood Compensation Framework Study on or by 14 March 2022 and as soon as the Government receives it.

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to publish the infected blood compensation framework report by Sir Robert Francis QC on or by 14 March 2022.

Michael Ellis: The study will report to the Paymaster General no later than 14 March 2022. The Government will give full consideration to Sir Robert's study - which is separate from the independent public inquiry. The Government's response and Sir Robert's study will be published.

Coronavirus: Protective Clothing

Angela Rayner: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to his oral contribution of 25 November 2021, Official Report, column 446, what the evidential basis was for his statement that the National Audit Office has access to minutes of a conference call on 9 April 2020 between the former hon. Member for North Shropshire and a Health Minister.

Steve Barclay: The NAO has a right of access to documents and materials which it reasonably requires to carry out its functions. In addition, I refer the Rt. Hon. Member to the Government response to Humble Address Motion on Randox contracts (HC 1072), where a note of the conference call of 9 April 2020 has been published.

Treasury

Hospitality Industry and Tourism: VAT

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of maintaining after 31 March 2022 the 12.5 per cent VAT rate to support businesses in the hospitality and tourism industry to support covid-19 recovery and trading activity.

Lucy Frazer: The temporary reduced rate of VAT was introduced on 15 July 2020 to support the cash flow and viability of around 150,000 businesses and protect over 2.4 million jobs in the hospitality and tourism sectors. As announced at Spring Budget 2021, the Government extended the 5 per cent temporary reduced rate of VAT for the tourism and hospitality sectors until the end of September 2021. On 1 October 2021, a new reduced rate of 12.5 per cent was introduced for these goods and services to help ease affected businesses back to the standard rate. This new rate will end on 31 March 2022. This relief has cost over £8 billion and, whilst all taxes are kept under review, there are no plans to extend the 12.5 per cent reduced rate of VAT. The Government has been clear that this relief is a temporary measure designed to support the sectors that have been severely affected by COVID-19. It is appropriate that as restrictions are lifted and demand for goods and services in these sectors increases the temporary tax reliefs are first reduced, and then removed, in order to rebuild and strengthen the public finances.

Long Covid: Lost Working Days

Layla Moran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the (a) economic impact of lost workforce days due to long covid and (b) impact of those lost days due to that condition on GDP.

John Glen: The government’s Living with Covid strategy, published on 21 February, outlined that the NHS will continue work to better understand Covid-19 and the long-term health impacts it may have, supported by £50 million in research funding. The Therapeutics Taskforce will also continue to support the eight national priority clinical trial platforms run by the National Institute for Health Research, focused on prevention, novel treatments, and treatments for Long COVID. HM Treasury will continue to monitor Covid impacts, such as workforce absences, on the economy as we move into the next phase of Living with Covid. HM Treasury does not prepare formal economic forecasts, including GDP, for the UK economy, which are the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). The Living with Covid strategy can be found at the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-response-living-with-covid-19

Inflation

Munira Wilson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the impact of the recent rise in inflation on the price of (a) ballpoint pens, (b) laptop computers and (c) school uniforms.

John Glen: As the global economy recovers, many economies are experiencing high inflation, in part due to pressures from rising energy prices and disruptions to global supply chains. These global pressures are the main driver of higher inflation in the UK. We understand the pressure that a higher cost of living places on people and low-income families. The government is providing support worth over £20 billion this financial year and next that will help families with the cost of living. This includes cutting the Universal Credit taper rate and increasing work allowances to make sure work pays, freezing alcohol and fuel duties to keep costs down, and the £9.1 billion package announced in February 2022 to help households with rising energy bills.

Free School Meals: Finance

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Secretary of State for Education on increasing the allowance of Universal Free School Meals from April 2022 in response to the impact of increasing rates of inflation on the cost of food.

Mr Simon Clarke: The Department for Education spend around £600million per year ensuring around 1.3 million infants enjoy a free, healthy and nutritious meal at lunchtime following the introduction of the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy in 2014. The per meal rate of £2.34 per child per meal was increased in 2020-21. The funding rate for the 2022-23 will be published with the funding allocations in June.

Treasury: Coronavirus

Chris Stephens: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to mandate individual risk assessments for all employees in his Department before they return to the workplace following the easing of covid-19 restrictions; and how many individual risk assessments for people returning to work have been conducted by his Department as of 21 February 2022.

Helen Whately: The Treasury has encouraged all managers to discuss with employees their individual risk factors and any concerns they may have about returning to the workplace; managers have been advised to use a Coronavirus Individual Risk Indicator tool to help facilitate these conversations. As these discussions are directly between managers and employees, the Treasury does not hold information on how many coronavirus individual risk assessments have been conducted. There are no plans to mandate coronavirus individual risk assessments.

Treasury: Social Media

Geraint Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff in his Department are managing ministerial social media accounts as either (a) their primary responsibility or (b) as part of their role.

Helen Whately: No HM Treasury employees are responsible for managing ministerial social media accounts.

Treasury: Social Media

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff in his Department are managing ministerial social media accounts as either (a) their primary responsibility or (b) as part of their role.

Helen Whately: No HM Treasury employees are responsible for managing ministerial social media accounts.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Internet: Epilepsy

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of protection in the Online Safety Bill for people with epilepsy from the purposeful sending of flashing images online.

Chris Philp: We are protecting people with epilepsy online through a review of criminal law and the Online Safety Bill.Following a recommendation by the Law Commission in its review of existing criminal law for harmful communications, we will introduce new offences into law through the Online Safety Bill. This includes the harm-based communications, false communications and threatening communications offences. The harm-based offence will capture epilepsy trolling where it meets the criminal threshold. We are also continuing to consider the remaining recommendations, including a standalone offence for epilepsy trolling.The Online Safety Bill will require services in scope to have robust systems and processes to tackle illegal content on their services. This includes the harms-based offence and any other illegal online abuse which provokes epilepsy seizures.

National Lottery: Finance

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish data by (a) region or (b) local authority on where national lottery funds were spent in each of the last five years.

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Answer of 16 March 2020 to Question 26996, on National Lottery: Grants, when she plans to update the database on National Lottery funding awards.

Chris Philp: Since 1994, the National Lottery has raised over £45 billion for good causes. Over 660,000 individual grants have been awarded since the National Lottery started - the equivalent of more than 235 lottery grants in every UK postcode district. More detailed information about National Lottery grants can be found at the National Lottery grants database website.Due to technical limitations, this database does not incorporate more recent National Lottery grant data. We hope to have this resolved in the Spring.In the meantime, information about Lottery funding is available on the websites of the twelve National Lottery distributors: National Lottery Community Fund, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England, Arts Council Northern Ireland, Creative Scotland, Arts Council of Wales, British Film Institute, UK Sport, Sport England, Sport Northern Ireland, Sport Scotland, Sport Wales.

National Lottery: Tickets

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will publish data by (a) region or (b) local authority on where national lottery tickets were bought for each of the last five years.

Chris Philp: The Department does not hold this information. The National Lottery operator publishes sales data two months in arrears on its website. More granular data is not published due to commercial sensitivities.

Prime Minister

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Prime Minister, what the scientific basis is for lifting remaining covid-19 restrictions as announced on 21 February 2022.

Boris Johnson: I refer the Hon. Member to both my statement to the House and press conference of 21 February.